Timeline

Heritage classified

Key figures

Origin and history

The Saint-Paul-de-Mausole Monastery, founded in the 11th century in Saint-Rémy-de-Provence, is a masterpiece of Provencal Romanesque art. Its name comes from the proximity of the ancient mausoleum of Glanum, an emblematic Gallo-Roman vestige. According to the Christian legend, Saint Paulus de Mausole, a local labourer, saw his stick bloom miraculously, giving rise to the construction of an oratory in 982, then of an Augustinian priory in 1080. The site, originally dependent on the abbey of Saint-André de Villeneuve-lès-Avignon, was attached in 1316 by Pope John XXII to Notre-Dame-des-Doms Cathedral in Avignon, thus integrating the heritage of the Popes' Palace.

In the 17th century, Franciscan monks established an asylum for the alienated, transformed into a psychiatric hospital during the Revolution. This place, known as Maison de Santé de Saint-Paul-de-Mausole, welcomed Vincent van Gogh from May 1889 to May 1890. During his stay, the painter made 143 paintings and more than 100 drawings, inspired by the Provencal landscapes and the serenity of the monastery. His workshop and room, located above the cloister, have been reconstructed and now house a museum dedicated to this creative period.

The architecture of the monastery, redesigned in the 17th and 19th centuries, combines Romanesque elements and later additions. The 11th-XIIth century cloister, adorned with carved capitals and geminied bays, has been listed as a historic monument since 1883, as has the polychrome frieze Lombard bell tower. The medieval garden, pre-invented in 1994 for its remarkable character, completes this set. In 2024, the entire site (excluding classified parts) was listed for its heritage value, including walls, parks and vegetable gardens.

The monastery is also linked to the cinema: it served as a decor for Camille Claudel 1915 (2013) and At Eternity Its history thus reflects a dual vocation, both spiritual and medical, while embodying a major place in art history.

The Romanesque church, covered with Provencal tiles, has a bedside with three pentagonal apses and a bell tower with limestone lauze. The galleries of the cloister, built between 1140 and the end of the 12th century, illustrate Provencal Romanesque art by their grouped arcades and symbolic capitals. Upstairs, the rooms of the affluent patients, like van Gogh's, offer a view of this preserved setting, a witness to nine centuries of history.

Future

The monastery houses an asylum, the psychiatric hospital of Saint Paul de Mausole.

Vincent van Gogh spent a year in this psychiatric hospital from 3 May 1889 to 16 May 1890, shortly before his death. He painted many paintings there.

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