A few words from Sibyl Dana Reynolds
Welcome to Belle Coeur, meaning beautiful heart. Belle Coeur was the chosen name of the cherished home for the sisterhood of women portrayed in my novel, Ink and Honey.
In the story, Goscelin, the sisterhood's young scribe describes their home...
In the golden wheat fields of the French countryside near the town of Vezeley, home of Magdalene's cathedral, there is a simple frame house. Nailed to the weathered wall beside the door is a chased plaque of iron. At the center of the plaque is an equidistant cross with a rusted circle. Beneath, painted in blue, are the words 'Belle Coeur.
The Contemporary Belle Coeur Sisterhood is born
The equidistant cross within the circle - the Belle Coeur cross - is the template and foundation for The Way of Belle Coeur: A Woman's Vade Mecum, a companion spiritual/creative guidebook that accompanies Ink and Honey. The Way of Belle Coeur offers spiritual and iconotypal sustenance, prayers, spiritual practices, and journal prompts for personal enrichment and for sisterhood circles and communities.
There is a contemporary sisterhood of Belle Coeur. Soon after the release of Ink and Honey readers wrote to me to express their shared longing. It seemed many women yearned to become part of a sisterhood, not unlike the sisters of Belle Coeur in my story. I, too, had shared the same desire for as long as I could remember.
Ultimately, the call for sisterhood inspired me to prepare a week long retreat for women feeling led to follow the way of Belle Coeur. In October 2013, eleven women immersed in the way of Belle Coeur and our contemporary, Christ-centered, contemplative, spiritual and creative community was born.
We are mothers, aunties, and grandmothers. Belle Coeur sisters are artists and writers, healers and gardeners, priests and ministers, working and retired. We are married, widowed, single, and partnered, a community of kindred spirits. Visit here to learn more about us.
As sisters of Belle Coeur, we are purveyors of beauty, hope, and sacred wisdom.