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Origin and history

The Cordeliers de Valréas convent is a Franciscan building built at the end of the 14th century, at the initiative of the community of minor brothers installed in the city since the 13th century. A papal bubble of Clement VII, dated 1391, authorizes its construction in intramural to replace the former convent destroyed outside the ramparts. The works, carried out between 1394 and 1395, include elements of the first convent, such as the stones of the nave and the bell tower, transferred and raised in 1399, and again in 1459 and 1763. The church, with a single nave and vaulted choir, is completed by side chapels added between the 15th and 17th centuries.

The cloister, partially destroyed during the Wars of Religion, was rebuilt in the 18th century with three of its four original galleries (south, west and east). After the Revolution, the convent was divided between several owners in 1808. Ranked a two-stage historical monument (1984 for the cloister and choir, 2006 for the rest of the church), it has been home to a theatre, the Rond-Point, which organizes cultural shows there since 1979. Its architecture combines small stone appliances, arches and defensive elements, reflecting its role both religious and community.

Among the features of the site are a double sundial on the bell tower, a screw staircase and side chapels of various styles, including a covered with a dome on trunks. The chapel of the black penitents, initially independent, was incorporated into the convent in 1596. The convent illustrates the architectural and social evolution of Franciscan settlements in Provence, between the late Middle Ages and the modern era.

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