On Saturday, August 24, a solemn ceremony and feast will mark the official blessing and official Opening of the new recently built spaces of the Monastery of Saint Mary of la Garde (Monastère Sainte-Marie de la Garde), in Saint-Pierre-de-Clairac, Aquitaine, France.
The Monastery, whose community has been restoring and building the site for several years, is the first daughter-house of the benchmark traditional Abbey of Saint Mary Madgdalen of le Barroux (Abbaye Sainte-Madeleine du Barroux), near Avignon - the second house, counting the female monastery of Notre-Dame de l'Annonciation, also in Le Barroux.
Mass will be offered in the morning, and in the afternoon, Bishop Hubert Herbreteau, of Agen, will proceed to the benediction of the monastic spaces, followed by an "open-doors" moment when visitors will (many for the last time) be able to view the different places inside the monastery, including the chapterhouse and the monastic cells. All details are available in the La Garde website. Building will continue to make the original site look more and more like a proper monastery.
