Monastère Notre-Dame de Pitié de Mougères, Monastery in Caux, France

The monastery of Notre-Dame de Pitié de Mougères stands beside Caux, about 7 km north-west of Pézenas in the Hérault. Its church, whose decoration the resident Carthusians redid in 1882, keeps a plaque naming the workers from Mougères who arrived in 1825 and carried out the work in 1882, helped by several others. A chapel built by the Dominicans in 1645 on the ruins of an older one is dedicated to Our Lady of Pity. The adjoining 35-hectare vineyard is still farmed.

Dominicans founded a convent at Mougères in 1328; it was abandoned at the end of the 15th century, and their 1645 chapel replaced an earlier one. Expropriated under the 1790 law, the buildings were largely demolished after sale as national property. Mme de Maury left the estate to the Carthusians, who settled on 4 May 1825 and in 1882 redecorated the church. Expelled under the 1901 association law, they returned, and the charterhouse closed in 1977; the Bethlehem sisters arrived in 1978.

The name Mougères comes from a Romance term meaning "lands of rockroses". The nuns of the Monastic Family of Bethlehem, present since 1978, live from monastic craft, and their handmade goods are sold on site. The adjoining 35-hectare vineyard, run by a company of the Bonne Terre agricultural lycée in Pézenas, produces AOC Coteaux du Languedoc and vin de pays.

The monastery welcomes visitors and pilgrims during designated times, allowing people to view the architecture and participate in religious services. Plan ahead to check opening times and the schedule of religious activities before arriving.

The site produces wine in its surrounding vineyards and maintains the Appellation d'Origine Contrôlée certification. This winemaking both supports the community financially and preserves a longstanding agricultural tradition.