Timeline

Heritage classified

Key figures

Origin and history

The Chartreuse de Valbonne, founded in 1204 by Bishop Guillem I of Venejean on a swampy estate ceded to the order of the Chartreux, owes its name (vallis bona) to the remediation of the valley by the monks. The small cloister and the first vaults date from this medieval era. The site, originally occupied by a Benedictine monastery abandoned in the twelfth century, becomes a spiritual and agricultural pole thanks to the clearing of the surrounding forest.

Devastated in 1585 during the Wars of Religion, the Chartreuse was rebuilt in 1593 with the arrival of monks of the Great Chartreuse. The large cloister (350 m perimeter) and the entrance door were built at that time. A new church, built between 1770 and 1780, with its complex vaults by the Franque d'Avignon brothers. Its Burgundy varnished tiles, rare in Provence, give it a picturesque character.

The French Revolution hunted the Chartreux in 1790, and the estate, nationalized, was sold as a national good. In 1806, Napoleon I offered it to the Pont-Saint-Esprit hospital, which sold it at auction. Repurchased in 1836 by the Chartreux, the monastery regained its religious vocation until 1901, leading to a new exodus. Transformed into a barracks during the First World War (600 soldiers hosted), in 1929 it became a leprosy thanks to Pastor Philadelphe Delord, supported by donors such as Martha North-Siegfried.

Classified as a historical monument in 1959 and 1974, the Chartreuse now houses a tourist site combining architectural heritage (conventual church, chapels, cloisters), a forest with rare Mediterranean species, and vineyards. Its history reflects the religious, political and health upheavals of France, from the Middle Ages to the 20th century.

Among the notable anecdotes are the presence in the 19th century of a shoe of Saint Malachi, the installation of a glass factory in 1802 using local sand, or the burial of Louis Barbat, the executioner of Cayenne, in the adjoining cemetery. The cells of the monks, identified by letters from A to Y (except Q), illustrate the rigorous organization of Cartus life.

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