Timeline

Key figures

Origin and history

The Chartreuse du Reposoir is a former Cartreux monastery founded in 1151 by the monk John of Spain, on land offered by Aymon I of Faucigny. Located in the valley of Foron (Haute Savoie), it owes its name to the exclamation of the founder: "Hic is repausatorium meum! ("This is my rest!"), evoking a place of peace for the soul. The site, originally occupied by monks around 1147, was abandoned due to hostile conditions before being reinvested by John of Spain, with the support of the lords of Faucigny.

The monastery prospered until the French Revolution, despite floods and fires (notably in 1705). Expelled in 1793, the Chartreux returned briefly between 1846 and 1855, then from 1866 to 1901, before a final expulsion. In 1932, the site became a Carmel, still active today. Ranked a historic monument in 1910 (portal) and then in 1995 (together), the chartreuse illustrates medieval monastic architecture, with its late Gothic cloister and austere cells.

The history of the Reposoir is marked by seigneurial donations (Béol valley, pastures, vineyards) and conflicts, such as Henri de Faucigny's attempt to take over the land in 1185, finally confirmed by Aymon II in 1202-1210. Blessed John of Spain, beatified in 1864, remains a central figure: his relics, exhumed in 1649, are preserved on the spot. After the Revolution, the site was in turn saltpetrière, luxury hotel (1907), then bought by the Church in 1922 to install Carmelites.

Architecturally, the chartreuse forms a square oriented east-west, with a large cloister with whistle-billed vaults and a small 16th-century cloister, restored in 1929. The ogival church, founded by Aymon de Faucigny, houses two chapels dedicated to John of Spain and Saint Anthony. The cells of the monks, organized around the cloister, reflect the rule of silence and cartreuse solitude, with individual oratories and square beds.

Among the personalities related to the place are Peter, prior who became bishop of Grenoble (1237-1250), and Charles-Auguste de Sales, nephew of Saint Francis de Sales, who exhumed the relics of John of Spain. The Priors, listed in a 1895 work, led the community until the dissolution of 1793. The site, symbol of Savoyard spirituality, also embodies the political upheavals, from revolutionary annexation (1792) to Waldeck-Rousseau (1901).

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