Timeline

Heritage classified

Key figures

Origin and history

The Carmelite convent of Angers came into being in 1626, when the Carmelites settled in the city. The community acquired in 1638 the hotel of Puy-Gaillard, a 15th century building renovated in 1574, to become its monastery. The wings of the cloister, built between 1646 and 1666 by architects Denis Aubry and Pierre Moreau, as well as the church of Sainte-Thérèse (1712-1721) complete the whole. The site, partially destroyed in 1944, was restored in the 1950s.

During the Revolution, the convent served as an orphanage and prison for women, before becoming a hospice in 1810. The Carmelites reinvested the site in 1855 and made changes, such as the chapel of the Hermitage (1873). The convent, classified as a historical monument in 1963, retains remarkable elements: cloister, gardens, and 17th and 18th century facades, witness to its architectural and religious evolution.

The hotel of Puy-Gaillard, integrated into the monastery, has remains of 15th century stone and wood, while the lateral wings of the entrance courtyard, built around 1740, reflect the aristocratic influence of the time. The 1944 bombings severely damaged the church, rebuilt in 1952 by Henri Enguehard. Today, the site mixes medieval, classical and modern heritage, illustrating almost four centuries of Angelian history.

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