About Bellefontaine Abbey in Bégrolles en Mauges, France:
Bellefontaine Abbey (Abbaye Notre-Dame de Bellefontaine) is a historic Cistercian monastery located in the commune of Bégrolles-en-Mauges, in the Maine-et-Loire department of France , it is named after a nearby pure water spring that still flows today, though it is marked as non-potable. The abbey spans 120 hectares and has been a site of monastic life for over a millennium, currently home to around 10-14 Trappist monks (Cistercians of the Strict Observance) who focus on prayer, silence, agriculture, and spiritual publishing.
The first signs of monastic presence date back to around 1010, when hermits settled in the area. The abbey was formally founded in 1120 through a charter between Pétronille de Chemillé (first abbess of Fontevraud) and Pierre (first abbé of Bellefontaine). During the Middle Ages, it gained prominence when Bertrand de Got, then Archbishop of Bordeaux, visited in 1305 and learned of his election as Pope Clement V while there; he gifted a statue of the Virgin Mary, which remains in the church.
The abbey declined from the late 15th century. In 1637, it briefly adopted the rule of the Maurists (Benedictines) before shifting to the Feuillants (Cistercians) for over 150 years. The French Revolution in 1790 dispersed the remaining four monks, burned the library, and repurposed the site as a prison; it also became a key location in the Vendée Wars. In 1816, Father Urbain Guillet repurchased it and reestablished Trappist life, which flourished and led to five daughter houses across five continents in the 20th century (e.g., Notre-Dame des Gardes in France, Val Notre-Dame in Canada, and Notre-Dame de l’Étoile in Benin).Current
As of October 2025, the Trappist community, with an average age over 80 and only about a dozen members, is preparing to depart due to declining numbers and the challenges of maintaining the large 19th-century property. The monks will leave definitively on November 13, 2025 (the monastic All Saints’ Day), marking the end of 209 years of Cistercian presence.
A traditionalist Benedictine community from the Abbey of Le Barroux (in Vaucluse, France) will take over, arriving in spring 2026 to revive monastic life on the site.
The Trappist monks cultivated apples and kiwis in a verger, sold at the on-site shop, which will continue operating post-departure. Since 1966, the abbey has produced Editions de Bellefontaine, focusing on texts bridging Eastern and Western monasticism.
Traveling to Bellefontaine Abbey in Bégrolles en Mauges, France:
Bégrolles en Mauges is about 12 miles (20 km) west of Angers near Cholet and approximately 30 miles (50 km) from Nantes. The Abbey is clearly identified.
Click here for the official website of Bellefontaine Abbey in Bégrolles en Mauges, France