Ryde

juridic titleAbbey
type of monastery 30 nuns , 25 lay oblates CongregationSolesmes Congregation (Sol)address Saint Cecilia's Abbey
Appley Rise
Ryde Isle of Wight PO33 1LH
England, UK
GMT offsetGMT+00:00
Telephone The number in parenthesis to be skipped when calling from abroad. +44 (0)1983 562602
fax +44 (0)1983 562602
website http://www.stceciliasabbey.org.uk/ and http://www.abbeyscribes.org.uk
email address abbey@stceciliasabbey.org.uk
Email of the webmasterabbey@stceciliasabbey.org.uk
code of closest major airport LGW
closest major city Portsmouth
Ryde Esplanade
portPortsmouth Harbour, then catamaran to Ryde (0) (0)
guesthouse
retreats
newsletter
other pastoral activitiesWe have a small cottage outside the enclosure for private retreats (self-catering), one minute from the sea.
craft work and other products Altar bread bakery (our main industry)
Pyrography
fine arts Calligraphy (see www.abbeyscribes.org.uk)
Icons
otherLiterary work
Translations
Cassettes and CDs of our Gregorian Chant
patronale feastSacred Heart of Jesus

The Priory of Pax Cordis Iesu was founded at Ventnor in 1882 by Paix Notre Dame, Li觥, one of the abbeys descended from Florence de Werquignoeul's reform in the seventeenth century. In 1922 it transferred to buildings vacated by the nuns of Ste Cecile de Solesmes and thus became known as St Cecilia's, Ryde. In 1926 it became an abbey and in 1950 was aggregated to the Solesmes Congregation, with which it had long been in contact. Shanti Nilayam Abbey, the first Benedictine foundation for Indian nuns, was established by St Cecilia's in 1967.

Our life is characterized by

- a deep devotion to the Church, the living Body of Christ;
- a rich liturgical life which includes the singing of Mass (Pope Paul VI missal) and the Divine Office in Latin and in Gregorian Chant;
- a strong family spirit, within the house and among the other houses of the Congregation;
- the search for God taking place wholly within the monastery, in silence, prayer, and lectio divina, in manual and intellectual work and in the service of the community;
- papal enclosure to safeguard the conditions most favourable to contemplative prayer.

The Abbey is situated beside the sea. The Isle of Wight is a place of much natural beauty and can be reached within two hours from London Waterloo railway station.