Timeline

Heritage classified

Key figures

Origin and history

The Chartreuse Notre-Dame de Montrieux, also called Cartusia Montis Rivi, was founded in 1137 by Chartreux monks, becoming the 8th house of order. Located in Méounes-lès-Montrieux in the Var, it played a key role in the development of order in Provence, notably with the subsequent foundation of the Chartreuse de Notre-Dame de la Verne in 1170. The monks introduced plants of aliboufier styrax, creating a forest exploited for its perfumed resin, used for centuries by pharmacists and botanists.

In the 14th century, the Chartreuse welcomed Gherardo Petracco, brother of the poet Petrarque, who lived there after the death of his love, the Bella Donna. During the Great Pest of 1348, he was the only survivor of the monastery and contributed to its repopulation. Petrarch, who twice visited Montrieux, bequeathed a sum of money to the monastery and reported a legend about its foundation: two genoese brothers, one merchant in the East and the other in the West, found themselves in a Provençal forest, where one was waiting for death, inspiring the creation of the monastery.

The current buildings date back to the 17th and 18th centuries, after several destructions. At the Revolution, the monks were expelled, and the monastery sold. They returned in 1843, but were again expelled in 1903 under the Associations Act. The religious took refuge in Italy, then merged with the Cervara community in 1936, before settling in the Chartreuse de Mougères. During the Second World War, the Chartreuse housed sensitive archives of the 2nd Bureau (Information), partially destroyed in 1942 to avoid their capture.

The site also houses the tomb of the Count of Valbelle, destroyed at the Revolution, whose statues were dispersed (museums of Toulon, Draguignan, Fréjus). Among the famous monks are Hugues de Miramar (prior in the 13th century), Gilbert de Launay (jurisconsult and prior in the 16th century), and Marcellin Theeuwes (prieur général of the order 1997-2012). In 2008, twelve monks (seven fathers and five brothers) were still living there, without novitiate.

The chapel has been listed as a historic monument since 1980, while the remains of the abbey are listed in the Supplementary Inventory. The estate, surrounded by forests from plants reported by the Chartreux, remains a contemplative place of life, linked to the botanical, religious and military history of Provence.

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