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Origin and history

The Saint Francis convent of St. Lucia-de-Tallano was founded in 1492 by Rinuccio della Rocca, Count della Roca and Talavo, on the ruins of one of its former castles. The site, transformed into a place of worship and monastic life, adopted a regular U-shaped plan, with a church and convent buildings. The building was enlarged in the 16th century, and its consecrated church in 1593, becoming a home of Franciscan radiation in Corsica in the 16th and 17th centuries. The convent, which housed up to twelve religious, was also the seat of the Junta du Tallano, a local court, in 1772.

During the French Revolution, the convent was sold as a national property on the 6th year of sales in XII (1803). Occupied by the gendarmerie and rebuilt in the mid-19th century, it then fell into ruins before being partially restored. The remaining buildings, organized around a central courtyard, include a vaulted gallery, a large vaulted room in a cradle, and a single nave church with six side altars. The south-east wing, now collapsed, bears witness to the transformations suffered by the site.

The convent played a major political role in Corsica, hosting consultations (assemblies) in the 18th century, especially during the Corsican revolutions. Its architecture combines medieval heritage (fort and original castle) and religious arrangements, reflecting its evolution between the place of seigneurial power, Franciscan spiritual center, and symbol of revolutionary upheavals. Ranked a Historic Monument in 1980, it now belongs to the municipality of Saint Lucia-de-Tallano.

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