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Origin and history

The Carmelite convent of Ploërmel was founded on 15 October 1627 by the Carmelites of Vannes, three years after the arrival of the Ursulines in the city. Construction was completed from 1630 to 1645, with the addition of a north wing in 1649. A first chapel, designed by the Rennes architect Jean Gruau, was built between 1680 and 1702, before being replaced by the current one around 1750. This convent illustrates the expansion of religious orders in Brittany under the Old Regime, marked by an architecture adapted to monastic life (cloister, refectory, cells).

The French Revolution marked a turning point: after an inventory on 19 October 1790, the Carmelites were expelled on 1 October 1792. The convent, nationalized, served successively as an attic, prison, and housed a school as early as 1794. Backed back to the Ursulines by imperial decree in 1811, he became a school for girls until their expulsion in 1904 under the laws on public education. This period reflects tensions between state and church around education.

In the 20th century, the site was purchased in 1913 to become the boarding school of the Sacred Heart, then entrusted to the Daughters of Jesus of Kermaria in 1932. Damaged by bombings in June 1944 and a fire in 2006, it was partially restored (chapel in 1952, enlarged between 1959-1961). Since 1987, its iconic elements (cloister, chapel, refectory) have been protected as historical monuments. Today, it embodies the resilience of a religious, educational and memorial heritage.

The architecture of the convent, organized around a square cloister, initially included spaces dedicated to community life (kitchen, refectory, capitular room) and prayer (chapel). The successive changes, such as the addition of school buildings in the 20th century, reflect its adaptation to changing needs, while maintaining traces of its original monastic use. The chapel, a major work by Jean Gruau, remains an example of Breton baroque.

The location of the convent, rue Sénéchal-Thuault, makes it a central element of the Ploërmelais heritage. Its history, in conjunction with that of Ursulines and Carmelites, reveals the religious and social dynamics of Brittany, between local anchoring and external influences (Vannes, Rennes). The 1987 protections underline its heritage value, while its present use perpetuates a four-century educational vocation.

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