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Origin and history

The Carmelite convent of Gray was established in 1644 when the nuns settled in the city. The convent buildings were built in the second half of the seventeenth century, with a first stone of the chapel laid in 1666, followed by its consecration in 1671. This convent, with a regular plan, included spaces organized around a courtyard, with a long-paned roof and a chapel with an elongated plan, with a symmetrical exterior staircase. Sources mention re-use of older buildings for some buildings.

In 1792, the convent was sold as a national good during the French Revolution. In the 19th century, the site was occupied by a charitable institution, first named bouillon des pauvres, and then transformed into a municipal charitable office. Between 1888 and 1904, the architect Albert Colard made important interior and exterior changes, altering the facades of the buildings on courtyard. The chapel, for its part, retained a cult vocation until 1960, before being transformed into a departmental museum Albert-et-Félicie-Demard in 1978.

The site was partially protected by the Historical Monuments: the chapel was inscribed in 1984, followed by the former convent in 1994. Today, part of the premises houses a communal centre for social action (CCAS), while the chapel museum remains a testimony of 17th century religious architecture and its successive reallocations. The transformations of the 19th and 20th centuries have profoundly marked its present appearance, mixing the Conventual heritage and modern adaptations.

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