Du Couvent au Monast'

A street theatre festival in the heart of the volcanic Velay

Born in 2021 on the initiative of the association Espace Culturel Européen (ECE), the Du Couvent au Monast' festival is a summer street theatre event located in Le Monastier-sur-Gazeille, a village of character nestled at the foot of the Mézenc massif in Haute-Loire. Every summer, for two to three days at the end of July, professional companies take over the Place du Couvent and the village streets to offer free and accessible performances for everyone: street theatre, circus, storytelling, musical shows, and children's creations.

A traveling festival across the Mézenc Loire Meygal territory

One of the unique features of Du Couvent au Monast' is its territorial reach. Beyond Le Monastier-sur-Gazeille, the festival has gradually expanded to neighboring towns in the Mézenc Loire Meygal community of communes: Les Estables, Lantriac, and Saint-Pierre-Eynac. This traveling dimension helps introduce performing arts to villages where cultural offerings are scarce, while also highlighting the architectural and landscape heritage of this exceptional volcanic region.

Themes that guide each edition

Each festival edition is built around a unifying theme that gives the program its color and coherence. In 2022, for its second edition, the festival explored the theme of travel, with companies such as Les Goulus (international burlesque circus), Compagnie un de ces 4 (musical and burlesque circus), Samamuse (storytelling and children's shows), and Coop'Art (sound and light show). In 2024, the fourth edition highlighted tales and legends in all their forms, hosting Cie Ko Carré, Cie Chamane, and Les Pies en concert.

A commitment to accessible culture for all

Supported by volunteers from ECE, the festival champions a strong vision of culture: free, popular, and shared. The goal is to introduce performing arts to all audiences—families, children, rural residents—by removing the barrier of entrance fees. This philosophy of accessibility, combined with the quality of the invited companies and the charm of the open-air performance venues, makes Du Couvent au Monast' a unique event in the cultural landscape of Haute-Loire.

Le Monastier-sur-Gazeille, a heritage gem

The festival takes its name from the Place du Couvent, the central performance venue in Le Monastier-sur-Gazeille. This village, labeled a Petite Cité de Caractère (Small Town of Character), boasts remarkable monastic heritage with its Saint-Chaffre abbey church, its abbatial castle, and its medieval streets. It is also the starting point of Robert Louis Stevenson's famous journey with his donkey Modestine in 1878. This historic and natural setting provides an ideal backdrop for the festival's open-air performances.