Plum Village, a Buddhist monastery for monks and nuns and a practice center for lay people in France, was founded in 1982 by the Vietnamese Zen-Master Thich Nhat Hanh (Thây). During the course of the year, Plum Village welcomes thousands of retreatants from all over the world. Due to its rapid expansion in recent years, the community is now comprised of seven hamlets: Upper Hamlet, Middle Hamlet, West Hamlet and Lower Hamlet, located south east of Sainte Foy la Grande; New Hamlet, Gatehouse New Hamlet and Hillside New Hamlet, located just west of Duras.
