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Origin and history

The Augustinian convent in Aix-en-Provence, founded in the 13th century, was a major religious building located on Rue Espariat, extending to the Cours Mirabeau. It formed a whole neighborhood around a central cloister, with a church welcoming chapels deprived of Aixese notables like Nicolas de Littera. The current bell tower, built in 1472 thanks to the partial financing of Monsieur de Guiran, replaces an earlier tower. Its wrought iron campanile, added in 1667, is designed to resist the mistral.

The convent played a civic role: the church sometimes housed the town council in the 14th century, and the neighbouring door was renamed "gate of the Augustins". Luther reportedly stayed there around 1510-1511. Seized during the Revolution, the site was transformed into private dwellings, retaining only the tower (classified in 1926) and remains of the chapel and cloister (classified in 1971). Today, the tower and chapel belong to the commune, while the surrounding buildings are private property.

The architecture reflects its evolution: the 15th century square tower, on 22-ft deep foundations, dominates the remains integrated into modern buildings. The church's narthex, visible on Rue Espariat, is now occupied by a business. The convent illustrates the implantation of beggars on the urban periphery of the Middle Ages, combining religious functions (care, preaching) and influence on Aixese urban planning.

The sources mention technical details, such as the 1472 estimate specifying the foundations (31 florins for 2 canes of depth). The earlier tower, located at the present site of a bakery, was replaced to allow M. de Guiran to build a private chapel there. The campanile of the seventeenth century, in wrought iron, bears witness to an adaptation to local climatic constraints (mistral).

The site, partially accessible, combines public and private heritage. The tower, symbol of the Augustinian quarter, gives its name to a nearby fountain and remains a historic landmark in the city centre. The inscriptions in the Historical Monuments (1926 and 1971) underline its architectural and memorial value, despite the transformations experienced since the Revolution.

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