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Origin and history

The church of the Carmelite Carmes-Unshoes of Arles is the only remaining vestige of the convent built in 1649 by the Carmes déchaux, a reformed branch of the Carmelite order by Saint John of the Cross. From the reform of 1568, these monks settled in France in 1603 and arrived in Arles in 1647, first welcomed by a local bourgeois, François Seytour. In 1649, they began the construction of their convent outside the walls of the city, near the Rhône, with a church whose first stone was laid in 1673 by Jean-Baptiste Adhémar de Monteil de Grignan, then coadjutor of the archbishop of Arles.

The church, oriented north-south, was blessed in 1676 while still under construction, and the entire convent was completed in 1678. However, after the Revolution, the monastery was sold as a national property in 1794. The church vault, threatening, was shot down in 1801. In the mid-19th century, the piercing of the Arles navigation canal in Port-de-Bouc resulted in the destruction of a large part of the convent buildings and half of the church, leaving only the north facade and some interior remains.

The facade, of classic style, features a central forebody flanked by two wings, decorated with pilasters and niches today empty. Inside, a frieze carved with rinceaux and claws, as well as capitals surmounted by human profiles, recall the original decor. The church, classified as a historical monument in 1998, was bought by the town of Arles in 2013 pending a future restoration, linked to the urban requalification of the RN 113.

The Charmes déchaux had settled in Arles after the Carmelites reformed by Sainte-Thérèse d'Avila, marking the implantation of two reformed branches of Carmel in the city. Their initial convent, located near the Place de la République, had been destroyed at the Revolution, leaving only a few traces in nearby houses. The present church, although very degraded, remains a testimony of this monastic and architectural history.

Today, the church is stuck between National Highway 113, its access ramp and the Craponne Canal, in a changing area. Its precarious state of conservation and its environment contrast with its historical importance, stressing the urgency of its preservation in the context of ongoing urban projects.

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