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Les Contes

Bringing you closer to nature with Yoga, contemplation, organic homegrown food amid a mountainous backdrop drenched in history and healing power.






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Lars Muhl, author of The O Manuscript

We visited another dear site of memory for me, Les Contes, the place once owned by Mar and Leny Van der Velde, now owned and run by Aletheia Sophia and her husband. It was also moving to see my old St. Francis room again, the very place where so much of my work was done. Aletheia and her husband have taken on the task of renovating the building and grounds and have discovered during the restorations an old water source underneath the building. This was exciting news to me, as I have always felt that there was water beneath the house.

Nadia A

I had been wanting to stay at Les Contes for a long while now. I was so drawn to Aletheia’s incredible storytelling of the venue, it was truly food for the soul. When I finally made it there I fell in love- everything was how she described it, if not better. One day was all I had and it was simply not enough. Aletheia and Pete were amazing hosts and we made it to one of their ceremonies which was so timely. The greenery, the loving animals surrounding the venue, the gorgeous pond, the labyrinth, the rooms, the library were simply wow! What really inspired me further was the Notre Dame de Sophia. Oh wow!!!! We had access to it all day and all night long. I love Les Contes and ill be back for a longer visit soon. Thank you Aletheia and Pete for giving us this treasure. Thank you, thank you, thank you.

There is powerful magic here.

 Les Contes is the last property as you climb through the towering gorge toward the village and chateau of Montsegur, known as the last Cathar stronghold. Surrounded by the Pyrenees mountains of “Occitan” France. 


Situated at the confluence of two streams and beside La Source de Belisama, a holy spring, those who strongly resonate with the feminine, especially that of Mary Magdalene, will discover a place strongly rooted in her tradition.


Here is where you will find Notre Dame de Sophia, Our Lady of Wisdom, a chapel consecrated to the continuous lineage with the feminine principle, whom these mountains have known since the beginning of time.


 

Welcome to enchantment…

This old Catholic Summer Children’s House is being turned into a riverside, mountainside food forest, and permaculture haven. Home to many rescued and wild animals, our ethos is to leave behind our corner of the earth a little more abundant than when we found it.


The main house has 17 bedrooms and an enormous group space, with further gites, self-contained kitchens, and bathrooms. The ambience is peaceful and healing and would be ideal for writers, walkers, cyclists, historians, documentary-makers and those seeking solace, contemplation and healing.


Every morning, there is an hour-long somatic practice led by Aletheia, followed by a generous organic homegrown breakfast. In the evenings, you are welcome to end your day in the chapel or to grab a book from the extensive library as you sip your wine, curled up by the hearth or  Fire Pit. We also have a tucked-away Hot Tub and Sauna under the stars. 


In the future, we plan to build treehouses, cabins and yurts in our forested areas – for those who genuinely love the outdoors and a real sense of peace and quiet. We already have a Bell Tent on site. 


Our vision is to bring people into our lives and reveal an alternative to society’s norms. 


 

About Aletheia Sophia 

Aletheia Sophia is a Writer, Minister, Somatic Practitioner and Whisperer of Sacred Wisdom. Her highly acclaimed books, courses, transmissions, retreats, and workshops focus on the unearthing of the sacred body, from within the light of the soul, and thereby embodying its somatic wisdom. Her way of ministering this supernal wisdom is through movement, prayer, and the conjuring of the mythic imagination from the depths of the past, in the present for the sake of the future. 


She has an intimate relationship with the land, especially the French Pyrenees, Egypt, and Ireland. All her work – writing, transmitting, somatic movement, storytelling, and teaching – springs from an irresistible communion with the land, and especially her goats. Every day without fail, she shepherds her goats into the mountains and valleys, which is rooted in as much as the myths and stories of the place as it is in a detailed knowledge of the physical and historical environment. She has just completed working on Mary Magdalene’s Audio Guide to the South of France, an evocative and expressive partnering with the mythic imagination and the land itself, and is currently finalising her latest book, The Grail King. 


Aletheia leads workshops and trainings in Sacred Body Awakening and Sacred Body Deepening throughout Europe and North America. Every morning she offers Somatic Body Wisdom, an hour-long movement-prayer into the Divine Depths. She is also an ordained minister thereby uses her chapel for Sacrements, Rites and Spiritual Service.


Over time she has developed an oral message that stirs the remembrance of a continuous lineage with the Feminine Principle that throughout the centuries, has preserved its spiritual dignity without the need for permission or recognition from any other source. She is here to deepen your spiritual journey and to offer you a safe space whilst doing so. If you feel a calling toward a tradition strongly rooted in the presence of Mary Magdalene, Gnostis and Christ’s early teachings, you will find a palpable vein of Truth surrounding her. 

Upcoming Events at Les Contes

Click here for full Events list at AletheiaPistisSophia.com

30th November - 1st December

Budapest, Hungary

Sacred Body Deepening is a continuum that keeps on going, changing slowly over time, and is cohesive with evolution. This somatic, deep, slow process opens us to the revelation of a profound natural ability in our body where we discover that movement is the message and messenger from our ancient past and near future. Our body contains the Hall of Records, and some of us, remember how to access them.

 

16th - 21st of April 2025

Les Contes, Southern France

The Holy Eucharist, or Bridal Chamber as it was known in Mary's time, is a ritual to unite with our Deific Double (divine other) before becoming one with the One. This Easter, join a small group of like-minded souls for a deep wisdom immersion in my home in Southern France, where we acknowledge together what this time really stands for...

25th May - 1st of June, 2025

Les Contes, Southern France

Movement is my Mother Tongue and modality of Revelation. If you have ever stayed with us at Les Contes, you would have come into contact with my Somatic  Classes upstairs…

13th - 22nd of June, 2025

Les Contes, Southern France

WOMEN ONLY Movement is my Mother tongue, and the Awakening of the Sacred Body is my legacy. In this practice, we experience receptivity, intimacy, trust, organisation, expression, Wisdom and other…