Thirty nuns. That’s how many resided at the Monastère Notre-Dame de la Plaine in 2019. Their ages ranged from thirty-two to one hundred and five years old. Imagine their collective wisdom their shared history.
The Monastère Notre-Dame de la Plaine isn’t just a building. It’s a living testament to resilience. Founded in 1948 it stands as the mother house of the Bernardine nuns of Esquermes. This wasn’t their first home. Far from it.
Their story begins long before. After the French Revolution. Cistercian nuns from three abbeys sought refuge in Belgium. They founded a new congregation. In 1798 they established a boarding school in the Grimaretz castle. This eventually became the Abbey of Esquermes. They were finally permitted to resume their religious habit in 1827.
But their journey wasn’t smooth. In 1904 laws forced them into exile again. They found refuge once more in Belgium. Their return to France was permitted around 1920. But not to Esquermes. That had been nationalized. After years of wandering including stops in Cambrai and Armentières they finally settled at La Plaine in 1948.
The Monastère Notre-Dame de la Plaine is more than a refuge. It’s a hub of activity. The nuns run an elementary school. They also have a thriving icon-painting workshop. This started in 1972 after a bishop’s request. One nun began training in iconography. Eventually she led a workshop with over sixty adult participants by 2012.
The community at La Plaine also has a global reach. They’ve founded monasteries in far-flung places. The Petites-Roches Abbey in Touvet France is one example although it closed in 2015. Others include Stella Maris in Japan Notre-Dame du Lac in the Democratic Republic of Congo and monasteries in England and Burkina Faso.
Their story continues. The Monastère Notre-Dame de la Plaine stands as a beacon of faith perseverance and global outreach. A quiet testament to resilience against the storms of history. A place where faith and art intertwine.