For its first edition, the jury of the Natural Heritage Prize has selected the project for the rehabilitation and restoration of the landscaped areas of Bonnecombe Abbey by the Propolis Association, located in Aveyron in the commune of Comps-La-Grand-Ville. An exceptional French heritage site founded in 1167, Bonnecombe Abbey is owned by the bishopric of Rodez and Vabres. It was home to monks of the Cistercian and then Trappist orders until 1965.
Unoccupied since 2017, the Propolis Association has been studying the possibility of setting up a training centre on environmental and social issues on the site of this abbey. The project with the Foundation would have been to support the restoration and enhancement of the biodiversity of the abbey estate, in support of the training courses taken by the students.
Unfortunately, the Propolis Association was unable to obtain an emphyteutic lease from the bishop's palace, and the project could not go ahead in 2021.
The Abbey of Bonnecombe
In 2024, the Propolis Association has found a new location for its project: the Cénacle convent in the village of Lalouvesc, in the Ardèche. This means that the project can now get under way. This village, which has been a place of pilgrimage to the saints Jean-François Régis and Thérèse Couderc and a holiday resort since the early 20th century, sits on a pass at an altitude of over 1,000 metres between the Pilat and Monts d'Ardèche regional nature parks. It has a population of 387, no fewer than 12 shops and 7 other activities: a campsite, a riding school, a cinema, a carpenter's workshop, a home for the elderly and a sawmill.
The Cénacle convent (couvent du Cénacle)