Abbaye de la Joie Notre-Dame, Cistercian monastery in Campénéac, France

Abbaye de la Joie Notre-Dame is a Trappist monastery built from 1947 and occupied by the nuns in 1953, at the edge of the Paimpont forest in Campénéac. The long cream-rendered building has a taller left block with two rows of small white-framed windows and a lower wing whose steep grey slate roof carries four gabled dormers. Below the roof, a row of round-headed arches opens onto a walkway along the facade.

The monastery relocated to its current location in 1953 when the sisters moved from Sainte-Anne-d'Auray with help from the Abbey of Notre-Dame de Timadeuc. This move marked a significant change for the community's development.

The community took its name from the Abbey of La Joye d'Hennebont, founded in 1260 by Blanche of Navarre and lost during the French Revolution. The nuns make Breton shortbread, gingerbread and almond, hazelnut or orange croque-thés, and dark chocolate, sold at the monastery.

The monastery stands at the edge of the Paimpont forest in Campénéac, in Morbihan. The nuns sell their confectionery on site; the community has made Breton shortbread, gingerbread and almond, hazelnut or orange croque-thés for over 25 years, and dark chocolate for about 20 years. A shop visit can be combined with the forest paths nearby.

The nuns have produced Breton baked goods for many years and started making chocolate about two decades ago, bringing a craft tradition to the monastery. These handmade items represent how the community blends daily monastic work with small-scale production.