August 24th, 1970 : A Benedictine monk arrives on a moped, with a few belongings, at the Chapel of St. Mary Magdalen in the Vaucluse region of south-east France. What is he doing here ? At a time of turbulent change, he intends simply to continue his monastic life with his Abbot’s permission and to live according to the tradition of prayer, silence, manual work, the divine office in latin and the traditional liturgy. What will the future hold ? “That’s God’s business !”, replies Dom Gérard.

August 27th : A first postulant arrives at the door of “La Madeleine”. – Father, I want to be a monk. – Here, It’s impossible ! There’s no community for you to join ! But the young man persists.

November 15th : The young man returns. A community is born. From now on, seven times during the day and once during the night the divine praises will be sung.

1971 : Monastic life is resolutely established. The small ruined priory is rebuilt. God sends vocations — soon there are eleven monks.

January 1971 : First trip to Rome. Armed with a letter from his Abbot, Dom Gérard requests the support of the Holy See for his young foundation. At the Sacred Congregation for Religious he is reassured : “Do as St. Benedict did, live according to the Rule and God will bless you.”

July 25th, 1974 : Archbishop Lefebvre having conferred minor orders on several monks at Bédoin, Dom Gérard’s superior decides to close the growing monastery. There follows a second trip to Rome to try to find a solution… This, however, will take almost fifteen years !

January 1977 : The community continues to grow. We sleep in caravans and building site huts. “La Madeleine” becomes too small. It is necessary to build.

September 20th, 1978 : A property of some seventy-five acres is acquired between Mont Ventoux and the Dentelles de Montmirail, near the village of Le Barroux.

The site is wild and beautiful, but building is expensive ! Dom Gérard travels the length and breadth of France raising funds. There is a great tide of generosity, thousands of contributions, allowing the monks to continue their ambitious project.

1979 : Quatre jeunes filles se sont regroupées autour de Mère Élisabeth, moniale bénédictine. A la suite des moines de Bédoin, elles veulent faire, elles aussi, “l‘expérience de la tradition”. Après avoir déménagé en différents lieux, elles pourront trouver à leur tour un terrain dans la commune du Barroux et donner naissance à la future Abbaye Notre-Dame de l'Annonciation.

March 21st, 1980 : Laying of the foundation stone on which is engraved the motto of the monastery : Pax in Lumine (Peace in Light). This describes the mission of the monks : to bring down to us a little of the peace of heaven.

December 1981 : Farewell to Bédoin ! Two days before Christmas, everyone meets in the guest wing of the new monastery. The situation is still difficult : there is no heating, no electricity, and the novices set up camp in the dormitory… the offices take place in the crypt inaugurated some months previously.

January 1986 : January 1986

June 18th, 1989 : Rome accords canonical status to the monastery. Dom Dammertz, Abbot Primate of the Benedictines arrives to promulgate the decree of erection, signed in Rome a few days previously.

July 2nd, 1989 : Cardinal Mayer confers abbatial blessing on our founder, Dom Gérard.

October 2nd, 1989 : On the feast of the Guardian Angels, Cardinal Gagnon together with The Archbishop of Avignon and fourteen prelates, consecrates the Abbey Church : five hours of ceremonies, without a moment’s respite ! Th ose present weren’t even aware of the time passing — a heavenly day !

28 septembre 1990 : Voyage à Rome d’une partie de la communauté, reçue en audience privée par Jean-Paul II. “Je confie à votre prière la grande intention de la réconciliation de tous les fils de l’Église dans une même communion”, leur dira le Saint-Père.

June 10th, 1993 : Mgr. Gérard Defois, at the time Archbishop of Sens, ordains one of our brothers to the priesthood. Thus inaugurates a long list of French bishops who will come each year for ordinations at the Abbey.

24 septembre 1995 : Le cardinal Joseph Ratzinger, Préfet de la Congrégation pour la Doctrine de la Foi et futur Benoît XVI, rend visite à la communauté et célèbre la messe conventuelle du dimanche en présence d'un grand concours de fidèles.

25 janvier 1999 : De nouveaux postulants continuent à arriver. L’abbaye compte maintenant plus de soixante moines, et elle commence à devenir trop petite. Va-t-il falloir songer à essaimer ?

21 novembre 2002 : Mgr Descubes, alors évêque d'Agen, ayant donné son accord, et tandis que les moines sont presque soixante-dix, huit d'entre eux partent fonder en Lot-et-Garonne le Monastère Sainte-Marie de la Garde à Saint-Pierre-de-Clairac. Une nouvelle aventure commence...

25 novembre 2003 : Le fondateur, Dom Gérard, ayant donné sa démission de la charge abbatiale, la communauté élit comme nouvel abbé l'un de ses membres, Dom Louis-Marie, qui recevra la bénédiction abbatiale des mains du cardinal Medina-Estevez le 25 janvier suivant. L'aventure continue !

28 février 2008 : Décès de notre fondateur et premier abbé, Dom Gérard, suite à un accident vasculaire.

25 septembre 2008 : L'Abbaye a intégré la confédération bénédictine dont le but est de favoriser la vie selon la Règle de Saint Benoît et la charité fraternelle entre les monastères.