Timeline

Heritage classified

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Origin and history

The convent of Prouillan, also called the convent of Pontvert, was founded in 1283 by Vianne de Gontaut-Biron in Condom, Gascony. This Dominican monastery, linked to the famous convent of Prouilhe (Fanjeaux) founded by Saint Dominique, became one of the richest in the Condomese. It enjoyed a period of prosperity until the 16th century, before being partially destroyed during the Wars of Religion by the Huguenot soldiers, then rebuilt.

In 1790, the French Revolution radically transformed its destiny: the convent was closed, its buildings converted into military barracks housing 400 men and as many horses. His goods, sold for £401,985, were then dismantled, the stones serving as a quarry. Only the entrance gate, inscribed in the historic monuments in 1927, remains as evidence of this past. The site became a Carmel in 1892, marking a new religious phase after its military period.

The convent derived a large part of its income from the wood of Hugaut and from the exploitation of farmhouses, entrusted to farmers through leases at mid-fruit or rent until the 17th century. These economic activities reflected its local anchor and its central role in the region, before revolutionary upheavals.

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