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All French heritage classified by regions, departments and cities

  2. Patrimoine
  3. Île de France
  4. Seine-et-Marne
  5. 77210 Avon

  6. Convent of the Carmes of Avon

 Convent of the Carmes of Avon en Seine-et-Marne

Patrimoine classé
Patrimoine religieux
Couvent
Seine-et-Marne

Convent of the Carmes of Avon

    Rue Père-Maurice
    77210 Avon
Couvent des Carmes dAvon
Couvent des Carmes dAvon
Couvent des Carmes dAvon
Couvent des Carmes dAvon
Couvent des Carmes dAvon
Couvent des Carmes dAvon
Couvent des Carmes dAvon
Couvent des Carmes dAvon
Couvent des Carmes dAvon
Couvent des Carmes dAvon
Couvent des Carmes dAvon
Couvent des Carmes dAvon
Couvent des Carmes dAvon
Couvent des Carmes dAvon
Crédit photo : Thor19 - Sous licence Creative Commons

Timeline

Temps modernes
Révolution/Empire
XIXe siècle
Époque contemporaine
1700
1800
1900
2000
1662
Foundation of Charity of Avon
1920
Installation of Scrap Carmes
1926
Registration for Historic Monuments
1932
Opening of the Petit Collège
15 janvier 1944
Arrest by the Gestapo
1960
Closing of the Little College
Aujourd'hui
Aujourd'hui

Heritage classified

Door in front of the church: inscription by decree of 18 March 1926; Basins, garden floors and retaining walls (Box D 385): inscription by order of 5 August 1994

Key figures

Anne d'Autriche - Queen of France Founder of the Charity of Avon.
Père Jacques de Jésus - Director of the Small College Resistant, dead in deportation.
Louis de la Trinité - Superior of the Carmes de Paris Founder of the Little College.
Philippe de la Trinité - Deputy Director and then Senior Member of the Resistance.
Thierry d'Argenlieu - Admiral and Carmel Joined London in 1940.

Origin and history

The Convent of the Carmes d'Avon, located in Avon in Île-de-France, finds its origins in the former Hospital of Charity of Avon, founded in 1662 by Queen Anne of Austria. This establishment, initially run by the brothers of Saint-Jean-de-Dieu, was transformed into a seminary and then entrusted to the Redemptorists in 1860, before being taken over by the Charmes déchaux in 1920 after their return from exile to Belgium. The site, registered as a historical monument in 1926, became a place of religious and intellectual formation.

In 1932, the Petit Collège Sainte-Thérèse-de-l'Enfant-Jésus was founded under the direction of Father James of Jesus, welcoming students from the aristocracy and the bourgeoisie. The college, known for its innovative pedagogy, also became a home of resistance during the Second World War. Father James and other members of the convent hid Jewish children and refractories before being arrested in 1944. These events inspired the film Au revoir les enfants de Louis Malle.

After the war, the college reopened until 1960, and the premises briefly welcomed INSEAD. Today, the convent remains an active spiritual centre, home to the archives of the Carmes de Paris and hosting retreats. Its history combines religious heritage, education and commitment in the Resistance, in close connection with the nearby Fontainebleau castle.

The architecture of the convent, including its 1665 gate and gardens, has been protected since 1926 and 1994. The site retains a major heritage dimension in the Seine-et-Marne, illustrating the transformations of a place dedicated to charity, education and then Carmelite spirituality.

Among the notable figures, Father James of Jesus, deported for saving Jewish children, and Philip of the Trinity, member of the Resistance and the Provisional Consultative Assembly, embody the humanist and spiritual commitment of the convent. Their legacy continues through the centre's current activities.

External links

Page Wikipedia
Page Monumentum