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Abbey of Saint-Gildard de Nevers dans la Nièvre

Abbey of Saint-Gildard de Nevers

    34 Rue Saint-Gildard
    58000 Nevers

Timeline

Haut Moyen Âge
Moyen Âge central
Bas Moyen Âge
Renaissance
Temps modernes
Révolution/Empire
XIXe siècle
Époque contemporaine
800
900
1800
1900
2000
fin VIIe/début VIIIe siècle
Foundation of the Priory
7 juillet 1866
Arrival of Bernadette
16 avril 1879
Death of Bernadette
1884
Construction of the cave
1925
Beatification of Bernadette
8 décembre 1933
Canonization of Bernadette
milieu du XIXe siècle
Construction of parent house
1958
Opening of the museum
années 1970
Transformation into a place of reception
Aujourd'hui
Aujourd'hui

Key figures

Bernadette Soubirous - Holy and visionary Lives and died in Saint-Gildard.
Dominique-Augustin Dufêtre - Bishop of Nevers Initiator of the parent house.
Mère Marie-Thérèse Vauzou - Superior General Sponsor of the cave in 1884.
Louis Richomme (frère Marie-Bernard) - Sculptor Author of the statue of Bernadette.
Saint Gildard - Priest venerated Know his name at the abbey.
Saint Loup - Deacon converter First saint associated with the priory.

Origin and history

The abbey of Saint-Gildard de Nevers finds its origins in a priory attested at the end of the seventh or early eighth century, originally dedicated to Saint Loup (probably Loup de Troyes), then associated with Saint Gildard, a priest venerated for his miracles. Located on a hill near Nevers, this priory, in ruins in the nineteenth century, was chosen by Bishop Dominique-Augustin Dufetre to establish there the mother house of the Sisters of Charity of Nevers, whose new buildings were blessed in 1856. The site became a major spiritual center, linked to the history of Bernadette Soubirous, who arrived in 1866 after his apparitions in Lourdes.

Bernadette Soubirous, born in 1844, joined the Sisters of Charity of Nevers at the age of 22 and lived there until his death in 1879. His body, exhumed intact in 1925 during his beatification, was placed in a glass and bronze frame in the Chapel of the Sacred Heart. A cave inspired by Massabielle was erected in 1884, with a stone brought back from Lourdes, while a museum opened in 1958 traces his life. The site, transformed into a place of welcome for pilgrims after the closure of the novitiate around 1970, preserves gardens where Bernadette loved to gather, especially in front of the statue Notre-Dame-des-Eaux.

The Bernadette-Soubirous-Nevers space, formerly Saint-Gildard Abbey, now gathers several symbolic places: the Saint-Joseph chapel where Bernadette was first buried, the shawl sheltering her body in the chapel of the Sacred Heart, and a central statue of Brother Marie-Bernard (Louis Richomme). The pediment of the main building bears the inscription Deus Charitas Est ("God is charity"), reflecting the charitable vocation of the Sisters. This site, both historical and spiritual, attracts the faithful who come to honour the memory of Saint Bernadette and discover his heritage in the congregation.

External links