Saint-Jean-d'Assé, Pays de la Loire, France
Monastère Notre-Dame de la Merci-Dieu
Cistercian nuns have lived at the Merci-Dieu at Saint-Jean-d'Assé, near Le Mans, since 1969, weaving and making liturgical vestments.
After a year of discernment the community and the bishop of Le Mans announced on 17 February 2026 that the sisters are leaving: the buildings no longer suit their age and health. The institute is not dissolved, but five sisters are going to a care home, another community or other forms of monastic life. The diocese is considering the future of the buildings.
Before you act. The communiqué does not say whether the buildings will be sold; it is not known here whether the sisters had left by November 2026.
Last checked 9 November 2026.
Épinac, France
A joint statement of 7 October 2026 by the bishop of Autun, the prioress general and the Jeunesse-Lumière school says the sisters will leave at the end of 2026. The Family of Bethlehem remains owner and lends the site to the school of prayer and mission from September 2027; the church stays open.
Jonquières, France
The bishop of Beauvais, Noyon and Senlis announced on 21 April 2026 that the community is closing: six aging sisters remain and no reinforcement has come. They are leaving over the following months for other Carmels or care homes; the future of the building and of the memorial crypt of the martyrs is still being discussed.