If you are looking for a very special and holy place to go on pilgrimage during this Jubilee Year, then you need not look any farther than the Abbeys of St. Peter & St. Cecelia in Solesmes, France. Serving as the spiritual treasure house of Gregorian chant, these abbeys provide for all visitors a very real and authentic experience of monasticism not only in sound, but also in aesthetics and prayer life.
In the past two centuries few other branches of the Church have impacted the life of monasticism as much as the Benedictine Congregation of Solesmes. Since the early 1800s, they have served as leaders in the liturgical renewal and restoration of Gregorian Chant, while also influencing and founding numerous other monasteries throughout Europe and other parts of the world. Likened to the legendary monastery of Cluny in the Middle Ages, the congregation of Solesmes owes its prominence principally to one man and one abbey – Dom Guéranger and the Abbey of St. Peter.
Center of Prayer and Gregorian Chant
Located in the countryside of western France, the Abbey of St. Peter (along with the women’s Abbey of St. Cecilia) flourishes today as a worldwide center of Gregorian Chant spirituality and performance. Roughly 80 monks belong to the Solesmes community of men, and about 60 nuns to the Solesmes community of women. Both have achieved worldwide recognition for their contributions to restoring the true Gregorian chant of the Church.
For more than a century the Benedictine monks and nuns of Solesmes have been deeply involved in the research of Gregorian chant. One of their aims is to assimilate the spiritual riches it contains into the life of prayer within the Church. Many people throughout the world are familiar with the Benedictine monks of Solesmes for their recordings and publications. Along with chant, the monks perform extensive research and writing on monastic traditions and papal teachings.
The men’s monastery was founded at Solesmes in 1010 but was closed during the devastating times of the French Revolution. In 1833, a young priest of the local diocese named Father Guéranger purchased the deserted building, and within five year, had not only received the Vatican’s recognition for his newly established Benedictine community, but had the status of his priory elevated to the dignity of an abbey. Furthermore, the abbey would serve as head of the newly established Congregation of Solesmes, successor to the Congregations of St. Maurus and St. Vanne, as well as the more venerable and ancient family monasteries belonging to Cluny.
Persistent Search for Truth
Initiating a rediscovery of Christian tradition, the soon-to-be first abbot of Solesmes performed extensive research into Church history, liturgy, Gregorian chant, and Holy Scripture. Wishing to restore “a center of prayer and studies in service to the Church,” Dom Guéranger underscored both the primacy of the Divine Office and the liturgy with his monks, as well as the pursuit of the intellectual life. He knew that for monks, a persistent search for the truth was a prerequisite of an authentic spiritual life.
In his most famous work, The Liturgical Year, Dom Guéranger taught not only his monks but the world at large to live by and in the Church, and to pray with her and as she does. Holding the Church’s chant to be the most perfect expression of her liturgical prayer, he undertook with his monks the restoration of the Gregorian (chant) melodies which centuries of neglect and changes had left virtually unrecognizable. After his death in 1875, the monks carried on his work, and today they remain at the forefront of papal, monastic, and Gregorian chant research.
During his lifetime, with the help of Mother Cecilia Bruyère, Dom Guéranger also founded the women’s monastery of St. Cecilia in 1866. And due to the growth of Solesmes, several other monasteries were also revived or established under his jurisdiction. In the years following his death, the monks of Solesmes (whose recordings of Gregorian chant hit number one on the European pop charts in the mid 1999s) founded more than two dozen abbeys and houses. Among these are the renowned monasteries of Fontgambault, Clervaux, Liguge, Saint-Wandrille, Wisques, Ganagobie, and Santo Domingo de Silos.
A Wholly Contemplative Place
In 1981, they opened their first monastery in the United States, a women’s abbey in Westfield, Vermont. To this day, they continue to expand; in the last two years Solesmes has founded the priory of Palendriai in Lithuania, and Fontgombault, a daughter-house, has founded the priory of Clear Creek in Oklahoma.
What distinguishes the Solesmes Congregation from all others in the Benedictine Order is that all the monasteries are wholly contemplative, foregoing any pastoral or outside responsibilities. Their vocation is truly the splendor with which they celebrate the liturgy of the Church. Every day they spend four or more hours in community prayer, one hour in personal prayer, and the rest of the time performing manual labor, studying, or having periods of recreation. At the heart of each abbey’s community life are the Mass and the Liturgy of the Hours.
In accordance with Vatican II and the Constitution on the Sacred Liturgy, the monks and nuns of Solesmes have “preserved the use of the Latin Language and given prominent place to Gregorian Chant” in their liturgies. Along with the chant, they also give special attention to the visual aspects of the Mass with their vestments, ceremonial gestures, and incense. The result is Solesmes’ world-renowned role today in the liturgical renewal and restoration of Gregorian chant.
Contact Information
To learn more about the Benedictine Congregation of Solesmes, visit their website at: http://www.solesmes.com or contact:
Abbaye Saint-Pierre
1 Place Dom Guéranger
72300 Solesmes
Tel (0243) 95-03-08
Fax (0243) 95-68-79
Places to Stay
Within monastery walls
As the guesthouse is located within the monastic enclosure, only men (individuals or small groups) may be accommodated for spiritual retreats in silence. Monks can provide counsel if desired, and the maximum stay is one week. All guesthouse visitors are expected to assist at the offices. Meals are taken with the monks. During free time individuals can stroll parts of the monastic grounds as well as visit the library. All rooms are single occupancy with sheets and towels provided. Contact the guestmaster in advance of your proposed visiting dates.
Old Marble Factory
Located on monastery property but not within monastic enclosure, the Old Marble Factory can accommodate mixed groups of young people within its dormitories. Reservations are difficult to obtain due to the demand, and only those groups of young people with a religious motivation can be accommodated. They are expected to assist at most offices.
In the village of Solesmes
Located near the Abbey of St. Peter is the monastic hotel of Villa Sainte-Anne, which is operated by the Benedictine nuns of Saint Cecilia. Men, women, and children are accepted, and the hotel is open from Palm Sunday to the end of September and at Christmastime. Villa Sainte-Anne is located about four-hundred and fifty yards from the Abbey of St. Peter, and guests can assist at most of the offices at both abbeys. To make reservations, contact:
Soeur Hotelière
21, rue Jules Alain
72300 Solesmes, France
Tel (0243) 95-45-05
Fax (0243) 95-52-01
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