Timeline

Key figures

Origin and history

Sainte-Cécile de Solesmes Abbey is a Benedictine monastery founded in 1866 by Dom Guéranger, restorer of monastic life in France. This monastery, the last of its foundations, is the female counterpart of the abbey Saint-Pierre de Solesmes and the first female foundation of the future Congregation of Solesmes. Unlike the male monasteries abolished during the Revolution, some monasteries of Benedictine nuns had survived, but Dom Guéranger had not originally planned to create a female branch.

The foundation of the abbey was made possible thanks to Jenny Bruyère, a young girl who became the spiritual daughter of Dom Guéranger. She expressed her desire to devote herself to God according to the rule of Saint Benedict and the spirituality of Solesmes. The monastery, built quickly, was named Holy Cecile because of the devotion of Dom Guéranger for Roman martyrdom. Jenny Bruyère, now Cecile Bruyère, was the first abbess.

The abbey is distinguished by its attachment to the liturgy and the Gregorian plain-chant, as stressed by Joris-Karl Huysmans in La Cathédrale (1898). The church, in the Gothic style of the 13th century, is decorated with motifs dedicated to Saint Cecile, patron of musicians, and houses a reproduction of the Saint's gissant. Unlike the other female convents of the time, the spirituality of St. Cecile is based on liturgical practice, far from the usual methods of prayer.

The influence of the abbey goes beyond the boundaries of the congregation. The constitutions written by Cécile Bruyère, with the support of Dom Guéranger, influence many Benedictine monasteries in France and abroad. A notable feature is the restoration of the female abbatiate with its traditional attributes (ring, pectoral cross, lacrosse) and the renewal of the rite of the consecration of virgins. The abbey also founded monasteries in Senegal (1967) and Martinique (1977).

Several abbesses marked the history of the monastery, including Cécile Bruyère (1867-1909), central figure of its foundation, and Claire de Sazilly, elected in 2011. Their leadership allows the congregation to expand and perpetuate a rigorous monastic tradition, combining prayer, work and spiritual influence.

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