Abbatiale Notre-Dame-de-la-Lumière-au-delà-de-Tout du monastère Notre-Dame-du-Torrent-de-Vie du Thoronet, Abbey church in Le Thoronet, France
The abbatiale Notre-Dame-de-la-Lumière-au-delà-de-Tout is the church of the Notre-Dame-du-Torrent-de-Vie monastery at Le Thoronet. It has a single nave in three spaces ending in a semi-circular apse, built from red bricks made by hand from local raw earth and coated with lime mortar. Its pale peach facade has a five-arch porch, a round window and a small square bell tower with a cross; a conical-roofed apse projects to the right. It was consecrated on 7 October 2007.
At the call of Bishop Gilles Barthe of Fréjus and Toulon, a provisional monastery was set up on 2 February 1978 near the medieval abbey. The nuns lived in construction cabins for nearly thirty years. The permanent buildings were erected between 1991 and 2000, and the church Notre-Dame-de-la-Lumière-au-delà-de-Tout was consecrated by Bishop Dominique Rey on 7 October 2007.
The church, Notre-Dame-de-la-Lumière-au-delà-de-Tout, was consecrated on 7 October 2007 by Bishop Dominique Rey. On weekdays the nuns pray Matins, Vespers and daily Mass here, while the small hours are said alone in their hermitages. The church is open to anyone wishing to join the prayer, and a shop at the monastery entrance sells the nuns' craft work.
Visitors can reach the monastery through marked hiking trails, including the Camino de Santiago, and are welcome during prayer times. It is best to check ahead about visiting hours and any restrictions on when guests can enter.
The church was consecrated on 7 October 2007 by Bishop Dominique Rey of Fréjus-Toulon. It is named Notre-Dame-de-la-Lumière-au-delà-de-Tout, and its walls were built with red bricks made by hand from local raw earth and coated in lime mortar.
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