Chartreuse de Port-Sainte-Marie: A Former Carthusian Monastery in France
Site at a Glance
- Rating
- 4.4
- Popularity
- Low
- Country
- France
- Primary era
- Medieval
- External website
- Open
- Eras represented
- Medieval, Early Modern
- Civilizations
- French
- Site type
- Religious
- Remains
- Monastery
On this page9 sections
History
Chartreuse de Port-Sainte-Marie is a former Carthusian monastery in France, situated at Chapdes-Beaufort in the Sioule valley of Auvergne. The Beaufort lords, brothers Guillaume and Raoul de Beaufort, founded it in 1219 after giving land from their Boucheix lordship to Carthusian monks for a monastery at Confinéal. The Carthusians are a Catholic contemplative order founded by Saint Bruno, whose monasteries combined communal religious spaces with individual cells for a largely solitary monastic life.
Foundation and development
A local tradition says that Guillaume and Raoul encountered an apparition of Saint Bruno while hunting at Confinéal, inspiring the foundation. The monastery became an influential institution in the region. Its first known prior was Petrus de Planis, formerly prior of the Charterhouse of Toulon, who arrived in 1224.
The last major building works took place during the seventeenth century. By 1729, the community consisted of 20 priest-monks, eight brothers, and 30 domestic servants. This population reflects the division of work within a Carthusian house. The priest-monks followed the contemplative life, while lay brothers carried out much of the practical and economic work that supported the community.
Revolution and decline
In 1789, the penultimate prior, Dom Gerle, became a deputy to the Estates-General, the representative assembly of the clergy, nobility, and Third Estate convened at the beginning of the French Revolution. He later left the order and became involved in the political turmoil in Paris.
The monks were expelled in 1791, and the Charterhouse was confiscated. François Bertrand of Le Puy, the final prior, was arrested during the Reign of Terror, the radical phase of the Revolution associated with repression and arrests between 1793 and 1794. He died in prison at Saint-Maurice-du-Puy in 1797. A few months later, the estate was divided and sold as national property. The buildings then progressively fell into ruin.
The monastery was listed as a historic monument in 1996. Archaeological excavations have been carried out by the Carthusian Archaeological Research Unit, and safeguarding work has been undertaken by the Friends of the Port-Sainte-Marie Charterhouse association. In accordance with Carthusian tradition, the Charterhouse bears the arms of its founder, the Beaufort family.
Remains
The ruins lie at the bottom of the Sioule valley on the territory associated with Chapdes-Beaufort. The former Charterhouse covered 17.128 hectares and followed the customary Carthusian arrangement. Its buildings were organized into three principal zones: a religious area, an eremitical area for the monks, and an economic area operated by the lay brothers.
Religious and residential areas
Religious area
The religious area contained the church, radiating chapels, the Pontgibaud chapel, the small cloister, the chapter house, the cemetery, and the refectory. These spaces formed the communal and liturgical part of the monastery, while the cloisters connected the principal buildings within the complex.
Monks’ cells and large cloister
The eremitical area consisted of 19 cells arranged around the large cloister. This arrangement provided individual living spaces for the monks while keeping them within the organized structure of the monastery. The cloister was lit from the side of the inner courtyard and comprised 96 arcades made of Volvic stone.
Economic area
The economic area was grouped around a large round tower. It included the guesthouse, barns, stables, and workshops known as obediences, the service and work establishments assigned to particular monastic functions. Lay brothers worked in these workshops and managed the practical activities that supported the religious community.
Dispersed furnishings and clock
The monastery’s richly furnished interior was dispersed after the confiscation. Some furnishings passed to churches that had formerly depended on the Charterhouse, while others went to private owners in the surrounding area. Surviving examples include an altar at the church of Pontgibaud, The Assumption of the Virgin by Parrocel, The Adoration of the Shepherds and The Adoration of the Magi by Guy François of Le Puy, wood paneling, a Pietà, and a statue of Saint Bruno.
The monumental clock was removed from the monastery and acquired by the municipality of Aigueperse. A belfry was built for it between 1794 and 1798 in front of the former Ursuline convent, which was later converted into Aigueperse town hall.
