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Origin and history

The Chartreuse des Dames de Gosnay, also known as the Chartreuse du Mont-Sainte-Marie, is a former monastery of Cartuse nuns founded in 1329 by Thierry d'Hérisson and Mahaut d'Artois, on the model of the nearby Chartreuse de Val-Saint-Esprit. She was the first female chartress created outside the Chartreuse massif in south-eastern France. His church, consecrated between 1341 and 1342, symbolized the alliance between the kingship and the Dauphine, while affirming the power of the Countess of Artois. The foundation was stabilized thanks to the support of Jeanne de France (daughter of Mahaut) and Marguerite de Flanders (granddaughter) in the following decades.

In 1346, six nuns of Gosnay, from Bruges, set out to found the Chartreuse Sainte-Anne-au-Désert in this city. In the 15th century, the monastery suffered repeated damage, requiring major reconstruction in the 16th century. During the Thirty Years War (1636–48), the nuns had to take refuge in Bethune from 1639 to 1646, leaving the convent occupied by unprofessed sisters. The law system in the 18th century aggravated its financial difficulties, imposing a reduced numerus clausus. The French Revolution signaled its decline: despite the abolition of religious vows in 1790, the community was dispersed in 1792.

The ruins of the church and the remains (woodworks, porteries, walls) were classified as historical monuments in 1986. Since 1997, archaeological excavations carried out by the University of Artois have revealed remarkable elements: a 15th century Christ with ties (broken during the Revolution and thrown into latrines), Venetian glass feet (16th-17th centuries) made in Murano, and a double aqueduct rare for the time. These discoveries illuminate the monastery's spatial organization and the daily life of nuns.

The Chartreuse illustrates the history of female Chartreuses, often linked to the political and family strategies of local aristocrats. Its architecture and archaeological remains bear witness to its religious and social importance, despite the destruction suffered over the centuries. Today, the site, a mixed property (private and public), remains a place of memory and study for historians and archaeologists.

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