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All French heritage classified by regions, departments and cities

  2. Patrimoine
  3. Nouvelle-Aquitaine
  4. Landes
  5. 40800 Aire-sur-l'Adour

  6. Carmel Saint-Joseph in Aire-sur-l'Adour

 Carmel Saint-Joseph in Aire-sur-l'Adour dans les Landes

Patrimoine classé
Patrimoine religieux
Carmel
Couvent
Landes

Carmel Saint-Joseph in Aire-sur-l'Adour

    6 Rue Maubec
    40800 Aire-sur-l'Adour
Photo de Carmel Saint-Joseph in Aire-sur-l'Adour
Crédit photo : Bahusate - Sous licence Creative Commons

Timeline

Révolution/Empire
XIXe siècle
Époque contemporaine
1900
2000
1853
Carmel Foundation
1903
Departure for Izmir
1922
Return to Izmir
1939
Mission to Korea
1950
Martyr in Korea
2009
MH protection
Aujourd'hui
Aujourd'hui

Heritage classified

All the built and unbuilt elements and the fence walls in which they are enclosed (any element outside these walls being excluded from protection) (Box CC 53, 61): inscription by order of 20 January 2009

Key figures

Catherine Augustine - Founding Superior Mother Directed the installation of Carmelites in 1853.
Mgr Lannéluc - Bishop of Dax Solicited the foundation of Carmel.
M. de Villeneuve - Architect Designs the plans of the convent.
Pie XI - Pope (1922–1939) Launched the missionary call in 1939.
Mgr Adrien-Joseph Larribeau - Archbishop of Seoul Facilitated the foundation in Korea.
Père Camille Bouillon - Gersian Missionary Supported the establishment in Korea.

Origin and history

The Carmel Saint-Joseph, founded in the 3rd quarter of the 19th century, is a Carmelite convent located in the Landes. Its creation results from the initiative of the Carmel of Libourne, seeking to establish a daughter house. In 1853, the future superior mother Catherine Augustine, commissioned by Bishop Lanneluc, collaborated with architect M. de Villeneuve to design the plans. Six nuns, including the experienced prioress, settled in the still unfinished building. This convent became an active spiritual pole, before being later entrusted to the Community of the New Way.

Carmel's life is marked by bold missionary foundations. In 1903, faced with anticlerical tensions in France, ten sisters, including the superior mother, set out to found a Carmel in Izmir (Turkey), but had to flee in 1922 during the Greco-Turkish War. In 1939, responding to the call of Pius XI, the community – then prosperous – sent nuns to Korea, with the help of Bishop Larribeau (archbishop of Seoul) and Father Camille Bouillon, both from Gers. Two sisters died during the Korean War (1950), but their sacrifice contributed to the spread of the Seoul Carmel, which would swarm in Asia.

Carmel architecture combines simplicity and elegance. The church, with a single nave flanked by low side, has three vaulted bays and a choir with painted walls. It houses a Cavaillé-Coll organ (1890), remarkable for its oak buffet and two-keyboard console. The site, registered with the Historical Monuments in 2009, exceptionally opens its doors during the Heritage Days, allowing to discover cloister and gardens, managed today by the Community of the New Way.

Carmel embodies both a spiritual heritage and a human adventure. From foundations in Turkey to Korea, through anti-clerical laws or conflicts, its history reflects the resilience of religious communities. The transmission of the place to the Community of the New Way, after the departure of the last Carmelites, marks a new stage for this living heritage, still anchored in prayer and welcome.

External links

Page Wikipedia
Page Monumentum