The Summer School allows us the space to immerse 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 this, woven in with our daily meditation periods, will help us reach a deeper silence, an energizing stillness and a happy simplicity.
In the mornings there will be talks and study groups to help us deepen our understanding of meditation and faith.
Fr Laurence Freeman will explore the The Cloud of Unknowing, a text that has become one of the most popular and accessible entrance points into the Christian contemplative tradition. Although written in the 14th century, it sparkles with humour, psychological intelligence and deep spiritual wisdom. It was written at a time of evil and disruption remarkably similar to our own and speaks to us in a voice that both convinces in its description of reality and enlivens with a renewed sense of hope. Fr Laurence will lead a structured and in-depth study of this ever-fresh work of contemplative wisdom.
Participants are encouraged to buy a copy of this short book and begin their acquaintance with what could become a lifetime companion on the spiritual journey. We recommend the Penguin edition of The Cloud of Unknowing.
John Deane will give talks on ‘Poetry and Faith: The Unruly God, the Wild Meadow and the Red Gate’
The overall thrust of the talks will be to present poetry with the living understanding of faith. Poets have been chosen who have engaged seriously with their Christian faith and its contemporary relationship to the world we live in. John will emphasise the near equation of poetry with prophecy which, in the Biblical Old Testament sense, is at its most powerful when offered with the linguistically imaginative emphasis that approaches the art of poetry. And poetry, engaged in contemporary belief systems, at its best can be prophetic. Prophecy in itself is more objective, an attempt to call on a person or on a people to act. Poetry, on the other hand, begins in a personal entanglement with faith; when that entanglement gazes on the contemporary situation, then it may approach the act of prophecy.
John will offer poems that root themselves in nature or creation, a poetry aware that evolution is central to our view of the cosmos, and that we are in danger of destroying our environment through carelessness and wars. How this becomes, in terms of our faith, prophetic will appear alongside the view of a God that is involved in the whole messy mystery of our humanity.
In the afternoon to enrich our explorations, we will have a number of creative workshops:
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. This form of painting shares with meditation the essential courage involved in having to let go and let be.
Write me a Poem
John Deane will help us to find the poet within! He will work through five steps; each step beginning a poem-writing process, each day expanding, explaining, and developing a poem.
Stillness in Motion
Peter Jaeger will introduce participants to Qi Gong, the ancient Chinese art that seeks to cultivate wellbeing through bringing body, breath and mind together in a series of meditative physical exercises. The quiet state of mind that is cultivated through this practice is ideal for letting go of the thoughts and stresses of our busy modern lives. Qi Gong is highly complementary to meditation and all the movements can be adapted and practised by anyone, regardless of age, previous experience or level of mobility.
In the cool of the evenings, after a convivial supper, we offer either of the following:
Clearing the Labyrinth
An opportunity to clear the labyrinth of weeds and rubble and tidy it up for our final session on Sunday, walking the Labyrinth together.
Forest Walks
Peter Jaeger will lead short walks through the beautiful grounds of Bonnevaux. These walks will be integrated with sessions of shinrin yoku—the Japanese term for ‘forest bathing’. This practice does not entail swimming! It is instead a means to meditatively open the senses to nature.
Day Out!
The Villars Caves
We will visit the Villars Caves, one of the largest underground cave systems in the Périgord region, with nearly 13 km of caves explored to date. The underground river has carved out immense chambers connected by galleries. The seepage waters have created a fantastic natural setting. During the guided tour you can admire impressive calcite flows, fine stalactites, pools, translucent draperies, and countless stalagmites.
The Villars cave is the only cave in Périgord to feature original prehistoric paintings and natural concretions.
The prehistoric paintings were discovered in 1958. They are an authentic testament to the art of our ancestors. They were created approximately 20,000 years ago. Some, such as the horse rotunda, are covered with a thin film of calcite, which gives them their distinctive blue colour. You can also see the scene of the bison and the man, one of the rare human representations in prehistoric art.
More information https://grotte-villars.com/en/front-page-english/
We warmly invite you to join us for this special outing as part of your Summer School experience. For an additional €90, the outing includes comfortable, air-conditioned coach travel, lunch, the entrance fee, and a guided tour in English.
You can select the outing when registering for the Summer School. If you are unsure at this stage, you will also have the opportunity to decide later, and we will contact you closer to the event to confirm your participation.
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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John Deane
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John Deane was born on Achill Island off the west coast of Ireland. He is founder of Poetry Ireland, Ireland’s national poetry society, and its journal The Poetry Ireland Review. He is a member of Aosdána, the Irish arts academy. He has published many collections of poetry, in Ireland and in the UK and has been translated into several languages. He was the Burns Scholar in Boston College in 2008, distinguished Visiting Scholar in Suffolk University, Boston, and the Teilhard de Chardin Fellow of Catholic Studies in Loyola University, Chicago. The French government has made him ‘Chevalier en l’ordre des arts et des lettres’ for his services to poetry. He also founded and ran the Dedalus Press for several years. His latest publications, from Carcanet Press in Manchester, are the poetry collections Naming of the Bones, 2021 and Selected and New Poems, 2023. In 2025 the collection Jonah and Me became a recommendation of the Poetry Book Society in London and was reviewed in The Guardian as some of ‘the best recent poetry’; it is also a finalist for the Walcott Prize. He lives in Dublin and gives readings in Ireland (e.g. the Yeats Festival) and in London (e.g. the Temenos Academy, founded by Kathleen Raine). He has read his poetry in many cities throughout Europe, in the USA , Canada and New Zealand.
Other Leaders
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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.
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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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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 11 July 2027, check-in: 13.30 – 15.30 |
| Departure | Sunday 18 July 2027, 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 | €90 |
| Single room with shared bathroom | €1120 | €85 |
| Shared twin room with ensuite bathroom | €840 | €75 |
Gather your group and save!
A special group discount is available for groups of 4 participants or more attending the retreat together.
Discount rates
Shared room (booked by members of the same group) – 15%
Single room with shared bathroom – 10%
Single room with ensuite bathroom – 5%
Important information
Group discounts apply only to registrations with accommodation.
Discounts must be approved before booking.
Group discounts cannot be combined with other offers or financial support.
Discounts cannot be applied retroactively to existing registrations.
Group members may come from different countries.
Places available with the group discount are limited and subject to availability.
To Request a Group Registration
Before making any bookings, the group leader should contact us at contact@bonnevauxabp.com with the subject line:
Group Discount Inquiry + Title of the Retreat
Please include the following information for each group member:
First name
Surname
Email address
Preferred room type
Meal preference (vegetarian or non-vegetarian)
Any food allergies or intolerances
Once the discount has been approved, the group leader will coordinate payment for the whole group.
Cancellation Policy
If the number of participants in a group falls below four, the standard tariff will apply to the remaining participants and only the difference
will be refunded.
This adjustment applies only up to 31 days before the retreat.
From 30 days before the retreat onward, group registrations are non refundable, and the group tariff remains unchanged regardless of
cancellations.
A cancelling participant may be replaced by another person for a €25 administrative fee.
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
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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