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Origin and history

The monastery of Saorgia was founded in 1633 by the Reformed Franciscan Observers, known as "Recollets". The commune first gave them the chapel Saint-Bernard (1639), then an adjoining land (1648) to build the convent. The church of Notre-Dame-des-Miracles, completed around 1661 thanks to municipal financial aid, was enriched with decorations in the 18th century by master mason Calderari of Lugano, who intervened between 1760 and 1762 on the cloister and frescoes.

In 1794 the Franciscans were expelled by the French revolutionary troops, and the convent became a communal hospice before being returned in 1824. The site was occupied until 1903, the date of the Congregations Act, and then it was broken down: a holiday colony, barracks during the Second World War, and then purchased by the State in 1967. A major restoration allowed his occupation by Franciscan brothers from 1969 to 1988.

Since 2001, the monastery has housed the House of Writers and Literature, hosting author residences, seminars and workshops. Ranked a historic monument in 1917, it preserves a typical plan of the Liguria convents of the 17th century: rectangular cloister with arcades, unique nave church adorned with gypseries and frescoes, and convent gardens with basins and pergolas. The sundials of the 18th and 19th centuries and the frescoes narrate the life of Saint Francis of Assisi bear witness to his artistic heritage.

The architecture takes over that of the monastery of Cimiez, with decorated vaulted galleries and a porch masking the facade. The choir, narrower than the nave, houses a master altar made of waxed wood, typical of the Franciscan tradition. Outside, the garden combines utility (potager, fruit trees) and symbolism, reflecting the monastic life of self-sufficiency.

The movable heritage, although not detailed in the sources, fits into this religious and artistic context. Today, the site combines heritage preservation and cultural vocation, perpetuating its role as a place of creation and recollection, close to its original destination.

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