Notre-Dame du Refuge, Catholic convent in Anglet, France
Notre-Dame du Refuge is a convent occupying a large estate with wooded grounds and a chapel featuring marble altars and sculptural works. The grounds also function as a center providing daily childcare services and support programs for women facing temporary hardship.
Father Louis-Edouard Cestac founded this convent in 1838 as a refuge for young women seeking to leave prostitution and rebuild their lives. The institution evolved into a religious and social center that continues to serve the community today.
The chapel displays handmade ceramic Stations of the Cross created by Sister Marie de l'Eucharistie and stained glass windows showing scenes from Jesus's life. These artworks shape the interior and reflect the community's long tradition of local craftsmanship.
The convent stands at 102 avenue de Montbrun in Anglet, near the Cinq Cantons district and the BAB boulevard, at the edge of the lo Pinhadar wood. The chapel is the main space to enter; the straw chapel and a cell were rebuilt to the original design in 2007 as a record of the community's beginnings. The cemetery lies nearby.
The cemetery beside the convent holds about 300 sand tombs, where the Servantes de Marie and the Bernardines are buried anonymously, a plant placed at each head. Élise Cestac lies at the entrance of the Saint-Bernard cemetery, known for its graves topped with shell crosses.
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