About Le Monastère
Le Monastère is a unique residential community in the department of Vendée. The village of Vouvant is considered a medieval treasure and is the only town in the area with surrounding ramparts dating from the 11th century. Foreign visitors to French villages often ask “where are all the people?”. In Vouvant that question is not necessary as there are always people to be seen in the village, at all times of the year. Le Monastère itself has a privileged position in that we are literally in the centre of the village but yet we have a private oasis of calm and beauty.
The History
The site of Le Monastère has its own fascinating history. Originally a country home (or hunting lodge) in the 19th century, the site became a convent in 1941 and was in active use until almost the end of the 20th century when the religious order moved to Roche sur Yon. After the sale of the site which had become too much of a maintenance effort, the main buildings, two medieval towers and many outbuildings used by the nuns were renovated to a very high standard to form 25 individual dwellings. Each of the dwellings is unique adding to the charm of the development.
The Gardens
A key feature of Le Monastère are the gardens; the formal gardens close to the main buildings and the more informal woodland walk and riverside gardens by the River Mère (a tributary of the Vendee) . The development of the gardens have been lovingly directed and turned into reality by Ginny Goldsmith, the overall manager of the site.
Running the Development
The development is run as an owner-managed copropriété to make sure that it is evolved as the owners want. Maintaining the quality, heritage and tranquillity of the site is always top of mind. There are a mixture of permanent residents and second homeowners at Le Monastère and the international nature of the community is growing. As the largest residential complex in Vouvant, we aim to support village activities as much as possible.
About the Website
This website aims to be the definitive and easy to access source of information about Le Monastère and the copropriété. Owners will find the copropriété legal documents, records of Annual Meetings, minutes of Management Committee meetings and much more on the password protected pages. If owners have suggestions for improvement of the website or wish to be reminded about security access to the protected pages, please contact us via the contact form and we will of course respond.