After a first attempt in 1867 near Geneva, in August 1914, Mme. Delaître, a French widow, supported by a group of benefactors from the Paris region, bought the Little Castle of Lully (Switzerland) with the aim of establishing a prayer community for Christian unity. In 1921, the Carmelite nuns of Narbonne (France) moved to the Lully Little Castle. On September 29, 1921, a Mass was celebrated in the chapel of the Little Castle, near Fribourg, thus inaugurating the establishment of the Carmelite Order in Switzerland. In 1933, after an apostolic visit, the Sisters of Narbonne were sent back to their original monastery. The Order, in agreement with the bishop, appealed to Mother Mary Agnes of the Immaculate Conception, prioress of the Carmelites of Fontainebleau. She immediately realized that another place had to be found for the foundation. She found a meadow for sale higher up above the village of Pâquier. The monastery was built there, and on October 15, 1936, Bishop Besson blessed the place.
On September 26, 2021, the opening of the centenary celebrations began with a solemn Eucharist, at which presided Msgr. Charles Morerod, Bishop of Lausanne, Geneva and Fribourg. Various events are planned until October 15, 2022: a pilgrimage for young people, a prayer vigil, a meeting with our families, a radio mass and a pilgrimage from Lully to Le Pâquier for the inhabitants of the region, etc. Two books will be published during 2022: a book of photographs for Christmas and a second book that traces the history of the foundation.
