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Origin and history

The Convent of the Recollets of Cognac was founded on 22 January 1612 by the city of Cognac as part of the Counter-Reform. This Franciscan monastery, built between 1631 and 1647 under the direction of Fathers Roussel and Martial Hardy, housed about twenty religious in the 18th century. The buildings, organized around a vaulted cloister and a covered well, reflect a sober architecture combining Gothic and Renaissance influences.

In 1808, the town of Cognac acquired the convent to set up the town hall until 1892 and sold it partially to the department in 1820. The latter established the sub-prefecture and the civil court, requiring work led by architect Paul Abadie (1823-1827). After the departure of the judicial institutions in 1858, the building underwent major reconstructions, notably by E. Rullier (1892-1900), before being transformed into a cultural centre in 1982 by Edgar Broutet.

Only the 17th century well, three vaulted spans of the cloister and the wrought iron staircase (1770, signed Martial Hardy) have been protected as historical monuments since 1951. Today, the site houses exhibitions, conferences and administrative offices. The town's missing architectural elements, such as the Allenet Hotel Pediment, were re-used during the restorations.

The convent illustrates the evolution of heritage uses: place of religious life under the Old Regime, administrative seat in the 19th century, then contemporary cultural equipment. Its history also reflects the urban transformations of Cognac, marked by the secularization of ecclesiastical goods after the Revolution.

Future

The former convent of the Recollets belongs to the city of Cognac, which has made it a cultural and social centre.

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