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Origin and history

The Priory of Saint John of Grosbois, founded at the end of the twelfth century, was a grandmontain priory placed under the name of Saint John. Located in the state forest of Prieurés Grosbois, near Gipcy (Allier), it followed the typical plan of the Grandmontan priories, organized around a cloister in square. The south wing, still standing, housed the monks' refectory and a kitchen with a Renaissance fireplace decorated with eighteen busts. The church, to the north, and the other wings (capitular room, dorm, guest house) have partially disappeared.

From 1295 on, the priory had six religious and received donations, including from the Dukes of Bourbon. In 1317, Pope John XXII reformed the order of Grandmont, uniting Grosbois with the priory of Chavanon (Combronde), reducing his status to that of a simple one (monastic farm). In the Renaissance, he became a home for the family of Saint-Hilaire. Once surrounded by ramparts and a ditch, it was transformed into a farm before being bought by the state in 1928. Joined the Historic Monuments in 1929, it has been home to a forest ecomuseum and an arboretum since 2000.

The south wing, restored from 1985 by the National Forest Office, is one of the best preserved of the Grandmontan priories. It preserves seven lancettes and a 14 metre refectory by 5.80 metres. The church, destroyed in the late nineteenth century, once closed the north side. The site, accessible by RD 18, is 300 metres above sea level, in the heart of a preserved forest environment. The Romanesque windows of the lower parts and the 15th century bays testify to its architectural evolution.

The priory illustrates the history of the order of Grandmont, marked by initial austerity and subsequent reforms to streamline the management of small priories. Its decline in farming reflects the post-Revolutionary upheavals, while its conversion into an eco-museum now values its forest and monastic heritage. The crows carved on the north facade and the remains of the ramparts recall its defensive and religious past.

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