Chartreuse de la Valsainte
Origin of the name Chartreuse de la Valsainte
La Valsainte was originally called the Val de tous les Saints, in Latin « Vallis sanctorum omnium » (valley of All Saints). Since its rebuilding the monastery has been dedicated to Notre-Dame-de-l'Assomption.[1]
Founding of Chartreuse de la Valsainte
Girard I and Girard II of Corbières found the charterhouse in 1295. They endow it with property and seigneurial rights, mainly in the Javroz valley, where the monks also hold criminal jurisdiction. From the 16th century Fribourg tries to suppress the monastery, which France supports and which holds out for a long time. Closed in 1778 and then occupied by Trappists, Cistercians and Redemptorists, the house is largely demolished before the Carthusians return in 1859. It is the only charterhouse still active in Switzerland.[1][2]
History of Chartreuse de la Valsainte
1295. The Corbières found the charterhouse.[1][2]
1369. The House of Savoy confirms the monastery's rights.[1]
1381. A fire destroys the charterhouse entirely.[1][2]
1454. The House of Gruyère buys La Valsainte.[1]
1553. La Valsainte passes to Fribourg.[1]
1601. Fire ravages the monastery.[2]
1727-1729. Dom Amédée Nas has the west wing built, with its façade on the main courtyard.[2]
1732. Another fire strikes the charterhouse, restored from 1732 to 1737.[2]
1778. With the pope's consent, Fribourg suppresses the monastery. Its property goes to the Collège Saint-Michel, the seminary in Fribourg and the bishop of Lausanne, and the monks leave for La Part-Dieu.[1][2][3]
1791-1815. Trappists driven out of France occupy the site (from 1794, according to another source). Pope Pius VI recognises the house as a Cistercian abbey in 1794, and Cistercians from Soligny, in Normandy, live there in 1802-1812 and 1814-1815.[1][2]
1818-1824. Bavarian Redemptorists stay here and demolish the cells from the second half of the 16th century. The site is then sold and demolished, apart from the central block of 1729.[1][2]
1859. Driven from La Part-Dieu in 1848, the Carthusians take possession of La Valsainte again.[1][3]
1861. The Fribourg Grand Council approves the monastery's re-establishment by a majority of one vote.[1]
1863-1868. The Carthusians rebuild the monastery on its original plan, with fourteen cells around the great cloister, a chapter wing and a refectory on either side of the church.[1][2]
1884-1904. To house Carthusians expelled from France, the monastery gains a second row of cells to the south and the lay brothers' building known as « les Obédiences » (1884, or 1886), then a third row, the novitiate cloister, with the enlargement of the church and refectory (1903-1904, or 1901).[1][2]
1956-1958. Antoine Claraz creates the coat of arms and the statues of Saint Bruno and Saint Nicholas of Flüe at the entrance.[2]
1971. The church is restored.[1]
2006. After a landslide, the buildings added around 1900 are torn down. The novitiate cloister gives way to landscaping by Pascal Amphoux and Christoph Hüsler & Associés (2005-2008).[1][2]
2012. The community numbers seven fathers and eight brothers, almost half of them from German-speaking Switzerland.[1]
Population of Chartreuse de la Valsainte
Sources and references: [1]
| 2012 | 7 fathers and 8 brothers |
Historic sites in Chartreuse de la Valsainte
West wing and central block. The west wing of 1727-1729 and the central block formed by the nave of the church are the oldest parts. By the mid-19th century only they remained, with the corner pavilions of the prior and the coadjutor and the guesthouse to the north-west.[1][2]
Great cloister. The fourteen cells of the great cloister, the chapter wing and the refectory date from the 1863-1868 rebuilding, on the original plan.[2]
Entrance. The coat of arms and the statues of Saint Bruno, founder of the order, and Saint Nicholas of Flüe, works by Antoine Claraz (1956-1958), greet the visitor.[2]
Remains in Chartreuse de la Valsainte
16th-century cells. The cells from the second half of the 16th century were demolished by the Redemptorists between 1818 and 1824.[2]
Novitiate cloister. Built in the early 20th century for the Carthusians who came from France, the novitiate cloister was dismantled after the landslide of 2006.[1][2]
Sources
- Dictionnaire historique de la Suisse, « Valsainte, La » (Peter F. Kopp, version du 11.11.2016)
- Inventaire suisse des biens culturels (PBC), fiche « Chartreuse de la Valsainte » (KGS 01973), texte du Guide artistique de la Suisse (SHAS)
- Dictionnaire historique de la Suisse, « Part-Dieu, La » (Ernst Tremp, version du 27.09.2010)
Other villages near Chartreuse de la Valsainte
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