The abbey at Fontevraux in France, once the burial place of Eleanor of Aquitaine, is now the site of a first class lodging and meeting facility.
Travelers in Europe seeking low-cost, clean and safe accommodations sometimes turn to the convents, monasteries and other religious organizations for lodgings. For many years nuns and monks have taken in travelers — actually, some of them have been doing it for centuries. Religious houses not only provide affordable accommodations, they are usually in very interesting, sometimes lavish, historical buildings. But until recently it has been difficult to find these places, even using the web.
At one time Santa Susanna, the America Catholic church in Rome, was something of a finding aid for locating religious houses there that took in visitors in Italy, but their website no longer offers that information. (See http://www.santasusanna.org/ for other useful information about Rome.)
A 1999 book entitled Bed & Blessings by June Walsh and Anne Walsh was very helpful, but it has never been updated. The number of religious houses offering accommodations has grown, and many of them now maintain websites and have email accounts. On-line translation services make it much easier to communicate in advance of a visit. The Walsh’s book was written before the Internet became so widely used so there’s been a need for a new, similar volume.
Now there are a number of books on the market listing religious houses which accept paying visitors. Recently I purchased two of them. Good Night and God Bless: A Guide to Convent & Monastery Accommodation in Europe: Austria, Czech Republic, Italy by Trish Clark seems to be a very thorough listing of places available in the countries it covers. The book itself is a work of art, beautifully produced. The properties listed range from simple convents where a room or two are made available to expensive hotels in former monasteries. If you’re planning a trip to the countries covered, you may discover not only affordable lodgings but also unique experiences by referring to this book while making your plans. I hope the author and publisher plan to cover the other countries of western Europe in future volumes.
Kevin J. Wright’s focus is more religious. He’s authored several books including Europe’s Monastery and Convent Guesthouses. I found the listings in his book to be less than useful for the casual visitor and directed to the pilgrim who is seeking places offering religious experiences.
Amazon lists several other books including those specifically about other countries in western Europe.
The rules established by the orders offering accommodations vary greatly. If you plan to stay in a religious house, be sure you know in advance what the rules for that particular place are. Getting locked out at 10:00 pm. is a possibility — and could really spoil your night on the town.
Libbie
