What an honour to be able to restore this 19th-century site to its former glory! This building, Le Couvent, was built by the parish priest of Neuviale, Abbé Pierre Ferrand. The valley was already picturesque, and this convent school added to its charm. This parish priest was ahead of his time, believing that girls should receive the same quality education as boys. The villagers supported him in this conviction. The school quickly became a beloved place in the village. Between 1960 and 1973, Le Couvent was a boarding school for boys, and later it became a “Colonie de Vacances”, where city children could discover the beautiful nature in the surrounding area. We found it in 2001 and took over the building in 2003. We renovated it over a period of nine years with the utmost care and love. It was always clear that we would preserve as much of its history as possible. It was wonderful to see how Le Couvent gradually rose again! Our coup de foudre gradually transformed into our life's work.
We ran our chambre d'hôtes here for fourteen years. Today, 24 years later, it is time for a new chapter: for us and for Le Couvent de Neuviale. But we will carry the wonderful memories with us forever: the many beautiful moments by the pool or in the idyllic garden, unexpected, lively or philosophical conversations during warm evenings, letting our guests taste the fresh produce from one of the many markets... Golden times!