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Origin and history

The convent of the Ursulines of Granada, founded in the early seventeenth century, settled in 1624 in a house offered by merchant Jean Dépuntis. The community, created in Toulouse in 1611 under the impetus of Louis XIII, gradually expanded the convent throughout the 17th century. The nuns acquired adjacent plots, as evidenced by the acts of 1640, 1646 and 1649, which described the extension of the convent to the whole island. The brick facades, the arcades on the ground floor and the mirandes on the top floor date from this period.

The whole undergoes major transformations after the Revolution. In 1794, the convent became a military hospital and was divided and sold to private owners in the 19th century. The facade on the street, rebuilt at that time, contrasts with the preserved elements of the seventeenth century, such as painted ceilings decorated with acanthes and medallions depicting landscapes, or the silhouettes of angels painted in the old chapel. The outbuildings (grange, stable, dovecote) and the openings in the middle between the pieces recall the original monastic organization.

Ranked Historic Monument in 1988, the convent preserves traces of its religious and military past. The 17th-century ceilings, the wall decor imitating a altarpiece, and the raw earth structures (such as the chimney pipe) illustrate the techniques and artistic styles of the era. The successive changes, especially in the 19th century, however, altered part of its original design, making its architectural reading complex.

The Ursulines community, dedicated to education and contemplative life, marked local history before the secularization of the building. The 18th century acts mention frequent repairs to the wall of the enclosures, stressing the importance of this place in the urban landscape of Granada. Today, the building bears witness to both its religious heritage and its subsequent adaptations.

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