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Origin and history

The Augustinian convent of Angers, founded in the 12th century, is located in the district of La Doutre, on the right bank of Maine. At its peak, it covers 8,000 m2, including a church, cloister, refectory, dormitory and cemetery. Its spatial organization reflects medieval monastic life, with buildings structured around prayer and community.

In the 13th century, the Saccist brothers (Order of the Penance of Jesus Christ) received the ground of the religious of the Ronceray. At the beginning of the 14th century, the reform of religious orders transformed the convent: the saccists became Augustine, and the site was reorganized around the church, with a cloister serving common spaces. The fifteenth century saw major works, such as the restoration of the church (1468) and the construction of the chapel of the Passion (1480).

The seventeenth century marks a new phase of construction, with three additional chapels and amenities. In 1713 Father Jacques Hommey, a controversial columnist, died there after living there. His Diarum Europaeum Historico-Litterarium, a political critic, earned him an exile in Bar-le-Duc. In 1777, the convent still houses 16 religious before its revolutionary closure.

The French Revolution led to the destruction of the church and five chapels in 1795. Part of the land is sold, becoming the hotel of Ambray. In the 19th century, the convent buildings became a shoe factory (1871), then houses (1934). After the closure of the factory, the site houses a training centre (1960), a painting company (1977), and then the Municipal Heritage Service (1993).

In 2013, only the building is left of the cloister (1634) and the chapel of the Passion, private properties. Inrap's 2012 excavations reveal funeral niches, testifying to his religious past. The site, partially classified as a historical monument since 1978, opens at the Journées du Patrimoine.

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