Following on from the success of last year’s Summer School, we will continue our explorations by immersing ourselves in the contemplative rhythm of Bonnevaux while enjoying diverse ways of learning and sharing in community. Talks, discussions, creative workshops. Space for solitude. Walks in the beautiful countryside. Good food and convivial times together. All woven in with our daily meditation periods will help us reach a deeper silence, an energizing stillness and a happy simplicity.
Fr. Laurence Freeman will lead the teaching on the theme ‘I am I’. In a desperate moment of his life one of Shakespeare’s characters tries to understand himself and concludes: “I am I”, but Who am I? Who was I? Who will I be? The sense of selfhood has changed dramatically over time and today, in the age of AI, ecological crisis and radical instability, we too are desperate to know who we are. Much of our mental anguish and illness can be linked to a disconnect with true human selfhood and therefore with the world and God. Meditation and community, silence and conversation are vital ways to re-connect.
Laurence will engage with this question not with cold abstractions, but by engaging in conversation and drawing on different wells of wisdom, especially the Christian contemplative tradition. What is the human person – a consumer, a statistic, food for algorithms, or cannon fodder?
In Vedic wisdom the ‘true self’, the Atman, is one with the Universal Self, Brahman. In Christian wisdom there is an analogy, a resonance with this perennial insight. The human is known as an ‘image’ of God and our self-knowledge is therefore the basis of the highest unitive knowledge. It manifests, as Jesus said, not to the head-centered but to the simple and pure of heart.
Along with the other enriching activities and exchanges, this enquiry – who am I? – during the summery days at Bonnevaux may not provide a take-away answer. But we may find the question itself to be, not frightening, but life-expanding and help us to live life more fully as we are created to do.
To enrich our explorations, we will have a number of creative workshops to chose from:
Watercolour painting
Mary Cook will share her love and feeling for watercolour painting. There is a beautiful simplicity in observing colour moving on the element of water. Watercolour painting shares with meditation the essential courage about having to let go and be.
Movement sessions
Lucy Barnes will lead movement sessions – a gentle mix of Yoga and Tai Chi. The yoga relaxation will focus on living in relationship to the ground, the T’ai Chi walking sequences will be an opportunity to move together in space, breathing the air. These guided sessions will be a time for your own spirit of enquiry and enjoyment; developing awareness, balance and integration with our surroundings.
Creative writing
Peter Jaeger will focus on the relationship between creative writing and meditation. These practices both employ embodied, mental techniques of discipline, imagination, and attention, and the workshops will aim to investigate the potential for meditation to foster creative practice. We will work together in several genres, including life writing, haiku and longer poetic forms.
One or two other workshops may be possible – we are open to some spontaneity!
Day Out!
We will organise a day trip to Amboise in the Loire Valley to explore the medieval Chateau of Clos Luce where Leonardo da Vinci lived the last few years of his life, immersing ourselves in the artistic, engineering and botanical creations of the great Renaissance genius. For more: https://cparici.com/en/chateau-le-clos-luce-amboise/. This outing is optional and costs an additional €80, which includes transport, lunch, entrance fee, and a guided tour in English. After you register for the Summer School, we will contact you to confirm whether you would like to participate.
The Summer School is open to all, if you are new to meditation or not. Enjoy the stunning landscape and meet new people from around the world, all in a relaxed atmosphere – a special summer-time for learning in friendship and serenity.
Take a look at the highlights from last year’s Summer School and feel the rhythm of our shared days.
This event takes place at Bonnevaux and offers an opportunity to discover the rich cultural and historical French and European heritage of the 12th-century Abbaye de Bonnevaux, as well as to explore the varied and natural beauty of the land which we cultivate as a model of ecological responsibility.
Bonnevaux (Bonne Vallée , or Good Valley) is set within a beautiful valley formed by the river Rhune (la Rhûne) which descends past the Chapel and the 12th-century Abbaye, emptying into the lake beyond. The beauty and peace of Bonnevaux´s 65 hectares (160 acres) reflects the contemplative life lived here from its foundation as a Benedictine monastery in 1119 until the French Revolution. The community is continuing this policy as a living witness to the link between ecology and the human spirit. The land has over 20 different plant habitats, some of which are of heritage value.
Bonnevaux is located near Poitiers, in the southwest of France. The closest airport and train station is in Poitiers. You can get a taxi from there to Bonnevaux which is about a 30-minute drive away.
To make your journey easier, we offer a taxi booking service for our guests.
If you’d like us to arrange a ride, after you register, we will ask you for your arrival/departure time. We aim to group travellers together to share the cost and the journey; however, please note that carpooling depends on other arrivals and isn’t always guaranteed.
By Road
Parking is available on site.
Bonnevaux is about a 5 hour drive from Paris via the A10 motorway. Directions
By Air
The closest airport to use is Poitiers-Biard Airport. It is served by several low-cost airlines and convenient for those coming from Europe and the UK. There is a direct Ryanair flight from London Stansted to Poitiers.
For International travellers, you will need to fly into Paris Charles de Gaulle (CDG) Airport. It is a major international hub with flights from around the world.
You could also fly into Bordeaux-Mérignac Airport, another international option, in southwest France.
If you are flying into Paris or Bordeaux airports you will then need to take a train to Poitiers to reach Bonnevaux.
By Train
There are some direct trains from Paris Charles de Gaulle Airport (CDG) to Poitiers. Please check your connecting times.
From Paris all trains for Poitiers leave from Montparnasse Station. These high-speed trains are frequent and the journey takes about 1.5 hours.
By Taxi from Poitiers to Bonnevaux
The airport and train station at Poitiers is about a 20 minute drive to Bonnevaux.
There are several independent taxi companies you can contact to pre-book your ride:
gosebdriver.fr
allocab.com
poitiers-taxi.fr
taxipoitiers.com
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Speakers
Leader
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Laurence Freeman
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Fr Laurence is a Benedictine monk of the Congregation of Monte Oliveto. He is Director of Bonnevaux and of The World Community for Christian Meditation.
Other Leaders
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Briji Waterfield
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Briji Waterfield initiated The Summer School and facilitates and coordinates it and hopes it will provide a happy space to go deeper. She worked for WCCM as Director of Meditatio and has now retired but continues to participate in the life of the Community. Briji has had a lifelong interest in meditation and the Christian mystical tradition and is also a trained Spiritual Director.
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Mary Cook
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Mary Cook is a painter based in Islington, North London. She specialises in landscape painting, working primarily in watercolour and oil. Mary studied art at the Goldsmiths School of Art and later worked as an art teacher, while continuing to develop her own artistic practice throughout her life. She is a long-time meditator and a member of the World Community for Christian Meditation (WCCM).
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Lucy Barnes
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Lucy Barnes teaches yoga at the Meditatio Centre London and has been part of WCCM community since 2006. She works with adults, children and in education. Her teachers include Catherine James, Monica Voss, and the London Yoga Teacher Training Group founded by Mary Stewart. Lucy first learnt the T’ai Chi form with Pytt Geddes in the 1980’s, while training to dance, and continues to practice with Jayne Lee and fellows from the dance community.
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Peter Jaeger
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Dr Peter Jaeger is a Canadian writer, professor of creative writing, and yoga / qi gong instructor who has lived in England for the last 25 years. He is the author of 14 books of poetry and prose on such topics as Zen Buddhism, Ecology, and contemporary pilgrimage. As a long-time practitioner of meditation, he integrates techniques drawn from mindfulness practice into his creative writing classes and workshops. Peter’s goal as an instructor is to understand what his students need to learn, and then to help them to realize their own, individual learning objectives.
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Schedule
The Summer School
| Arrival | Sunday 5 July 2026, check-in: 13.30 – 15.30 |
| Departure | Sunday 12 July 2026, after lunch (15.00) |
We understand that you may need to arrive early or depart later due to your travel schedule. We are happy to accommodate this whenever possible. Please note that the cost of an extra night will depend on the room type you have booked for the retreat. Extra nights can be arranged after you complete your retreat booking. If this applies to you, please do not hesitate to contact us on contact@bonnevauxabp.com so we can assist with the arrangements.
This is a provisional programme intended to give you an idea of the daily rhythm. Please note that some elements may be added or adjusted. The final schedule will be provided upon arrival.
| Sunday | |
| 13.30 – 15.30 | Check-in |
| 16.00 | Tour of the Abbey |
| 17.00 | Introduction to meditation |
| 18.00 | Evening prayer and meditation |
| 19.00 | Dinner followed by Welcome and Orientation |
| If you cannot arrive until later, please let us know, so we can keep some dinner for you. | |
| Monday – Saturday | |
| 7.00 – 7.30 | Meditation (optional) |
| 7.45 | Morning prayer and meditation |
| 8.30 | Breakfast in silence |
| Session | |
| Refreshment break | |
| 12.15 – 13.00 | Midday prayer and meditation |
| 13.00 | Lunch |
| Time for rest and solitude | |
| One to one meetings | |
| Workshops | |
| Refreshment break | |
| Session | |
| 18.00 | Evening prayer and meditation (Contemplative Eucharist on Thursday) |
| 19.00 | Dinner |
| Sunday | |
| 7.00 – 7.30 | Meditation (optional) |
| 7.45 | Morning prayer and meditation |
| 8.30 | Breakfast |
| Closing session | |
| Refreshment break | |
| 12.00 | Contemplative Eucharist |
| 13.30 | Lunch and Good-byes |
| If you need to leave earlier, please let us know. |
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Testimonials
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Contribution (per person)
| Room Type | Event Contribution | Extra Night Stay |
|---|---|---|
| Single room with ensuite bathroom | €1330 | €100 |
| Single room with shared bathroom | €1120 | €90 |
| Shared twin room with ensuite bathroom | €840 | €70 |
Group Bookings
Discounts are available for groups with 4 or more participants. To make a group booking, please contact us at contact@bonnevauxabp.com.
Once your group request has been reviewed, we will guide you through the registration and payment process.
Important: Group discounts must be requested and approved in advance. They cannot be applied after individual registrations have already been completed.
Membership Fee
An annual membership fee of 10€ must be paid before attending an event. This is valid from January to December.
By French law you must be a ‘member‘ of the charity (association ABP) Abbaye de Bonnevaux – Centre Pour la Paix in order to participate at an on-the-ground event at Bonnevaux – 86370 Marçay, France.
Membership is non-binding. It simply means that you are invited to attend the annual general meeting if you wish and that you may receive information about our events during the year.
The prices reflect the need to achieve self sufficiency. If you are able to give a little more we would be very grateful. Please click here to donate.
Concessions
Full and partial scholarships are available. We do not turn anybody away for lack of resources. If you need a concession please do not hesitate to email us on contact@bonnevauxabp.com
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Dietary Information
We provide three freshly prepared meals per day, and throughout the day, refreshing drinks (coffee and tea) and fruit snacks are available for all retreatants.
Our kitchen offers vegetarian (no meat or fish), non-vegetarian, gluten-free, and lactose-free meal options. You can select your preferred option during the registration process.
Unfortunately, we cannot cater for specific intolerances and allergies as we do not have the facilities for this. Please also be aware that traces of allergens (e.g. nuts) may be found in the food at Bonnevaux.
To help us ensure your comfort and safety, please inform us of any other special dietary needs by emailing us at contact@bonnevauxabp.com at least 15 days before the event. Without this information in advance, we will provide our standard menu.
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Registration
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Cancellation Policy
Reimbursement Policy for Events and Retreats
We understand that unforeseen circumstances may arise that prevent participation in our events and retreats. To ensure fairness and clarity, please review our reimbursement policy below:
1 Cancellation by Participant
- Up to 31 days: full refund
- 30 – 22 days: 50% cancellation fees
- 21 – 8 days: 75% cancellation fees
- 7 – 0 days: 100% cancellation fees
Group bookings are subject to specific conditions, which will be communicated in writing prior to registration. These conditions may differ from the standard individual cancellation policy above.
An additional operational fee of 5% will be charged for any refund or cancellation.
Membership fees are non-refundable and non-transferable (not applicable to another person or another year).
2 Cancellation by Organizer
In the unlikely event that the organizer must cancel or postpone the event/retreat, participants will receive a full reimbursement of all fees paid. The organizer cannot be held responsible for any disrupted travel arrangements or any additional costs such as off-site accommodation.
3 Method of Reimbursement
Approved reimbursements will be issued to the original payment method within 14 business days of cancellation approval.
4 Travel Insurance
We strongly advise all participants to obtain travel insurance to cover unexpected situations such as illness and injury, family and personal emergencies, travel disruptions, event cancellations or other unforeseen situations. This provides peace of mind and protection against expenses outside the scope of this reimbursement policy.
For insurance claims, we can provide participants with an official certificate of paid contribution and non-attendance. Please email us at contact@bonnevauxabp.com to request this documentation.
The Abbey of Bonnevaux is the spiritual home of the World Community for Christian Meditation (WCCM) which includes a Conference and Retreat Centre dedicated to peace. The on-the-ground activities of the Abbey are organized under the responsibility of l’Association Abbaye de Bonnevaux – Centre pour le Paix (ABP). The Association, which is governed by the French law of 1st July 1901, is registered in Poitiers under the reference RNA: W863007299.
Address : Bonnevaux, 86370 Marçay, France.
Phone number : 06 33 43 71 71 / 06 61 96 57 74.
José Pype (President of the Association); Krzysztof Albinski (Executive Director)
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