Timeline

Heritage classified

Key figures

Origin and history

The Carmelite convent of Pamiers was founded on 29 June 1648 at the initiative of Bishop Francis of Caulet, who invited the Carmelites reformed by Saint Thérèse of Avila to settle in the city. The first nuns, who came from Auch and were led by the Mother of the Holy Trinity, settled in a medieval house in Mercadal Square, offered by the bishop with a 13th century tower and a garden. The consuls of Pamiers authorized their installation under the same conditions as those imposed on the Ursulines, marking the beginning of a community that became the 57th Carmelite monastery of France.

The Carmelites gradually expanded their enclosures thanks to donations (including 3,000 pounds from the bishop) and purchases of adjacent houses. Between 1685 and 1692 they built the monastery's wings for 40,458 pounds, including thirty cells and one cloister. The chapel, dedicated to the Transfiguration, was started in 1704 thanks to a gift from Bishop de Verthamon, but the work was interrupted due to lack of funds. They resumed about 1750 with the dowries of two novices, including Gabrielle-Thérèse de Jésus (former Mademoiselle de Saint-Félix), and ended in 1762. The altarpiece, inspired by Raphael and painted by Jean-Baptiste Despax, was financed by Louis de Fraxine.

During the Revolution, the convent was confiscated in 1793 and turned into a prison, while the nuns were secularized. Sold as national property in 1796, it was bought in 1805 by former Carmelites, Ursule Fraisse and Jeanne Bonhoure, who allowed the community to return. In the 19th century, two more wings were added. The monastery closed permanently in 2008, when the last five nuns left for Luçon. The town of Pamiers became its owner in 2016. Today, the site, registered with the Historical Monuments since 2009, bears witness to four centuries of religious and architectural history, mixing medieval, Baroque and classical remains.

External links