Timeline

Heritage classified

Key figures

Origin and history

The ancient church of the Clarisses of Bourges finds its origins in the foundation of the convent in 1470 by Pierre Cadouet, prior of the collegiate Notre-Dame de Sales. This religious site, originally dedicated to the monastic life of the Clarisses, sees at the beginning of the 16th century the addition of a funeral chapel commissioned by Pierre d'Amboise and his wife Anne de Bueil. This work is part of a period of architectural and spiritual development for the city, then under the influence of the great noble families of the region.

A fire ravages part of the convent in 1548, resulting in a partial reconstruction that is now witnessed by two spans of a side chapel of the church. These remains, classified as Historic Monument in 1933, illustrate the evolution of the site throughout the centuries. After the Revolution, the building changed its vocation several times: it housed a small seminary (1822-1857), then a convent of Ursulines (1857-1901), before becoming a boarding school held successively by Dominicans and Ursulines until the 20th century. These changes reflect the religious and educational upheavals in French society.

The location of the monument, located on rue Emile-Deschamps in Bourges (Cher), is attested by the Mérimée and Monumentum bases. Although geographical accuracy is considered satisfactory a priori (note 6/10), the site remains today a private property, limiting its access to the public. Only the two sections of the lateral chapel, protected since 1933, remain as tangible witnesses to this major religious and historical heritage of the Centre-Val de Loire.

External links