Carthusian The Carthusians, also known as the Order of Carthusians (), are a Latin enclosed religious order of the Catholic Church. The order was founded by Bruno of Cologne in 1084 and includes both monks and nuns. The order has its own rule, called th ...

charterhouse Charterhouse may refer to: * Charterhouse (monastery), of the Carthusian religious order Charterhouse may also refer to: Places * The Charterhouse, Coventry, a former monastery * Charterhouse School, an English public school in Surrey London ...

Chemillé-sur-Indrois Chemillé-sur-Indrois (, literally ''Chemillé on Indrois'') is a commune in the Indre-et-Loire department, central France. Geography The Indrois flows west through the commune and crosses the village. Population See also * Communes of th ...

Indre-et-Loire Indre-et-Loire () is a department in west-central France named after the Indre River and Loire River. In 2019, it had a population of 610,079.The monastery records date the foundation gift as 1178, although historians believe that the date of the start of construction was 1188 or 1189 in

Touraine Touraine (; ) is one of the traditional provinces of France. Its capital was Tours. During the political reorganization of French territory in 1790, Touraine was divided between the departments of Indre-et-Loire, :Loir-et-Cher, Indre and Vien ...

by

Henry II Henry II may refer to: Kings * Saint Henry II, Holy Roman Emperor (972–1024), crowned King of Germany in 1002, of Italy in 1004 and Emperor in 1014 *Henry II of England (1133–89), reigned from 1154 *Henry II of Jerusalem and Cyprus (1271–1 ...

, Count of Anjou and King of England, possibly in atonement for the murder of

Thomas Becket Thomas Becket (), also known as Saint Thomas of Canterbury, Thomas of London and later Thomas à Becket (21 December 1119 or 1120 – 29 December 1170), served as Lord Chancellor from 1155 to 1162, and then as Archbishop of Canterbury fr ...

(

Archbishop of Canterbury The archbishop of Canterbury is the senior bishop and a principal leader of the Church of England, the Primus inter pares, ceremonial head of the worldwide Anglican Communion and the bishop of the diocese of Canterbury. The first archbishop ...

) committed by his order. There are only a few remains of the medieval monastery, which was ruined in the

Hundred Years War The Hundred Years' War (; 1337–1453) was a conflict between the kingdoms of England and France and a civil war in France during the Late Middle Ages. It emerged from feudal disputes over the Duchy of Aquitaine and was triggered by a c ...

and again in the

French Wars of Religion The French Wars of Religion were a series of civil wars between French Catholic Church, Catholics and Protestantism, Protestants (called Huguenots) from 1562 to 1598. Between two and four million people died from violence, famine or disease di ...

. Rebuilt at the end of the

Ancien Régime ''Ancien'' may refer to * the French word for " ancient, old" ** Société des anciens textes français * the French for "former, senior" ** Virelai ancien ** Ancien Régime ** Ancien Régime in France {{disambig ...

, it was largely demolished in the French Revolution. The remains of the monastery structures are registered or listed as a ''

monument historique () is a designation given to some national heritage sites in France. It may also refer to the state procedure in France by which national heritage protection is extended to a building, a specific part of a building, a collection of buildings, ...

'' (including the grounds of a former monastery wall and corner towers, remains of the church and cloister roof joint). The Corroirie, the fortified gate, the chapel and the old prison were the subjects of an entry in the inventory of ''monuments historique'' of 7 September 1926. The Chapel of Saint-Jean-du-Liget was listed as a''monument historique'' in 1862.

Location

This monastery is located in

Indre-et-Loire Indre-et-Loire () is a department in west-central France named after the Indre River and Loire River. In 2019, it had a population of 610,079.Tours Tours ( ; ) is the largest city in the region of Centre-Val de Loire, France. It is the Prefectures in France, prefecture of the Departments of France, department of Indre-et-Loire. The Communes of France, commune of Tours had 136,463 inhabita ...

, in the heart of the forest of

Loches Loches (; ) is a Communes of France, commune in the Departments of France, department of Indre-et-Loire, Centre-Val de Loire, France. It is situated southeast of Tours by road, on the left bank of the river Indre (river), Indre. History Loch ...

in the town of

Chemillé-sur-Indrois Chemillé-sur-Indrois (, literally ''Chemillé on Indrois'') is a commune in the Indre-et-Loire department, central France. Geography The Indrois flows west through the commune and crosses the village. Population See also * Communes of th ...

.

History

Foundation

From his succession to his father in 1151, Henry II, Count of Anjou and King of England, confirmed his authority and

Touraine Touraine (; ) is one of the traditional provinces of France. Its capital was Tours. During the political reorganization of French territory in 1790, Touraine was divided between the departments of Indre-et-Loire, :Loir-et-Cher, Indre and Vien ...

became the hub of the

Plantagenet empire The Angevin Empire (; ) was the collection of territories held by the House of Plantagenet during the 12th and 13th centuries, when they ruled over an area covering roughly all of present-day England, half of France, and parts of Ireland and Wal ...

, which stretched from the Scottish border to the Pyrenees. The empire made

Chinon Chinon () is a Communes of France, commune in the Indre-et-Loire Departments of France, department, Centre-Val de Loire, France. The traditional province around Chinon, Touraine, became a favorite resort of French kings and their nobles beginn ...

its capital and encouraged the founding of new monasteries of the

Gregorian reform The Gregorian Reforms were a series of reforms initiated by Pope Gregory VII and the circle he formed in the papal curia, c. 1050–1080, which dealt with the moral integrity and independence of the clergy. The reforms are considered to be na ...

. It is in this context that in 1153 Henry II allowed four Carthusians from the

Grande Chartreuse Grande Chartreuse () is the head monastery of the Carthusian religious order. It is located in the Chartreuse Mountains, north of the city of Grenoble, in the commune of Saint-Pierre-de-Chartreuse (Isère), France. History Originally, the c ...

(founded in 1084 by Saint Bruno), to settle in a place called ''Ligetum'' bought from Hervé, abbot of Villeloin, to found a monastery. The name "Ligetum" is probably of Germanic origin, referring to a barren place, mostly wooded. The deed of foundation was dated 1178,. was confirmed in 1199 by

King John of England John (24 December 1166 – 19 October 1216) was King of England from 1199 until his death in 1216. He lost the Duchy of Normandy and most of his other French lands to King Philip II of France, resulting in the collapse of the Angevin Empi ...

and in 1234 by

Louis IX of France Louis IX (25 April 1214 – 25 August 1270), also known as Saint Louis, was King of France from 1226 until his death in 1270. He is widely recognized as the most distinguished of the Direct Capetians. Following the death of his father, Louis VI ...

. It is frequently asserted that the reason behind the creation of this monastery by Henry II was to make atonement for the murder of Thomas Becket. No mention of this is made in contemporary documents and the legend seems to rely on an inscription, now lost, which adorned the main gate of the charterhouse.

Rapid expansion of domain

Following the example of other Carthusian monasteries, the Carthusians of Le Liget worked quickly to expand their domain. The gift of Henry II in 1178 included the grounds of Le Liget and five farms, forming the ''desert'' of the monastery, which is to say, an area owned by and surrounding it, intended to preserve its solitude. In 1223, the lands of the

fief A fief (; ) was a central element in medieval contracts based on feudal law. It consisted of a form of property holding or other rights granted by an overlord to a vassal, who held it in fealty or "in fee" in return for a form of feudal alle ...

of Craçay, under the lordship of

Loches Loches (; ) is a Communes of France, commune in the Departments of France, department of Indre-et-Loire, Centre-Val de Loire, France. It is situated southeast of Tours by road, on the left bank of the river Indre (river), Indre. History Loch ...

, some from the monastery, were given to Le Liget. The Carthusians built their lower house there, known as the Corroirie. This fief included many farms making a total of 800 hectares of land, meadows, pastures, gardens and vineyards, besides more than 500 hectares of forest and 43 hectares of ponds. The initial monastery building had only twelve monastic cells. In 1363, Charles V founded thirteen more and the community was allowed to acquire 300 ''

livres Livre may refer to: Currency * French livre, one of a number of obsolete units of currency of France * Livre tournois, one particular obsolete unit of currency of France * Livre parisis, another particular obsolete unit of currency of France * F ...

'' of annual rent on the royal domain.

The Hundred Years' War

From the

Treaty of Brétigny A treaty is a formal, legally binding written agreement between sovereign states and/or international organizations that is governed by international law. A treaty may also be known as an international agreement, protocol, covenant, conventio ...

in 1360, which formalised a truce in the

Hundred Years' War The Hundred Years' War (; 1337–1453) was a conflict between the kingdoms of Kingdom of England, England and Kingdom of France, France and a civil war in France during the Late Middle Ages. It emerged from feudal disputes over the Duchy ...

, the Anglo-Gascons had to vacate the places they had taken in Touraine. During their retreat, the soldiers turned into looters. They pillaged the city of Tours. In 1361, the Carthusians who had taken refuge in their lower house in the Corroirie, suffered a siege by English gangs. After the siege, about 1379, they dismissed their servants and fled to Loches to a house they had bought. When they returned to Le Liget in the early 15th century, they equipped the Corroirie with the fortifications that still exist today in part. From a stately manor, the Corroirie became a fortress. It served as a refuge during the wars of religion. By

letters patent Letters patent (plurale tantum, plural form for singular and plural) are a type of legal instrument in the form of a published written order issued by a monarch, President (government title), president or other head of state, generally granti ...

of

Charles VII of France Charles VII (22 February 1403 – 22 July 1461), called the Victorious () or the Well-Served (), was King of France from 1422 to his death in 1461. His reign saw the end of the Hundred Years' War and a ''de facto'' end of the English claims to ...

dated 12 July 1432, it was even equipped with a garrison by royal command.

The second peak (17th and 18th centuries)

Between 1598 (

Edict of Nantes The Edict of Nantes () was an edict signed in April 1598 by Henry IV of France, King Henry IV and granted the minority Calvinism, Calvinist Protestants of France, also known as Huguenots, substantial rights in the nation, which was predominantl ...

) and 1629 (death of the

Cardinal de Bérulle Cardinal or The Cardinal most commonly refers to * Cardinalidae, a family of North and South American birds **''Cardinalis'', genus of three species in the family Cardinalidae ***Northern cardinal, ''Cardinalis cardinalis'', the common cardinal of ...

), spirituality in France was experiencing a boom period. Eventually the Catholic revival flourished until 1660 under the leadership of theologians and intellectuals like Jacques Gallemant but also zealous priests like Pierre de Bérulle,

Vincent de Paul Vincent de Paul, CM (24 April 1581 – 27 September 1660), commonly known as Saint Vincent de Paul, was an Occitan French Catholic priest who dedicated himself to serving the poor. In 1622, Vincent was appointed as chaplain to the galleys. ...

,

Francis de Sales Francis de Sales, Congregation of the Oratory, C.O., Order of Minims, O.M. (; ; 21 August 156728 December 1622) was a Savoyard state, Savoyard Catholic prelate who served as Bishop of Geneva and is a saint of the Catholic Church. He became n ...

and the Carthusian Dom Beaucousin, prior of the Carthusians of Paris. It was at this time that Le Liget received some famous guests: Dom Marc-Antoine Durant, for example, the presumed author of a poem about

Mary Magdalene Mary Magdalene (sometimes called Mary of Magdala, or simply the Magdalene or the Madeleine) was a woman who, according to the four canonical gospels, traveled with Jesus as one of his followers and was a witness to crucifixion of Jesus, his cr ...

, lived in Le Liget for 54 years with

Alphonse-Louis du Plessis de Richelieu Alphonse-Louis du Plessis de Richelieu (; 1582 – 23 March 1653) was a French Carthusian, bishop and Cardinal. He was the elder brother of Armand Cardinal Richelieu, the celebrated minister of Louis XIII. Life He was born in Paris and was ed ...

, elder brother of

Cardinal Richelieu Armand Jean du Plessis, 1st Duke of Richelieu (9 September 1585 – 4 December 1642), commonly known as Cardinal Richelieu, was a Catholic Church in France, French Catholic prelate and statesman who had an outsized influence in civil and religi ...

. He retired to Le Liget in 1605–1607. In 1681, the domain of Le Liget extended over 1,000 hectares. The charterhouse accumulated valuable items presented by generous donors such as

Hippolyte de Béthune In Greek mythology, Hippolyta, or Hippolyte (; ''Hippolytē''), was a daughter of Ares and Otrera,Hyginus, ''Fabulae'', 30 queen of the Amazons, and a sister of Antiope and Melanippe. She wore her father Ares' ''zoster'', the Greek word found ...

, Count of Selles, nephew of the great Sully, who in 1650 left two paintings attributed to

Caravaggio Michelangelo Merisi da Caravaggio (also Michele Angelo Merigi or Amerighi da Caravaggio; 29 September 1571 – 18 July 1610), known mononymously as Caravaggio, was an Italian painter active in Rome for most of his artistic life. During the fina ...

, recently discoveredThe discovery of two paintings was in 1999 ; the official announcement was made in 2006. in the Church of St. Anthony of

Loches Loches (; ) is a Communes of France, commune in the Departments of France, department of Indre-et-Loire, Centre-Val de Loire, France. It is situated southeast of Tours by road, on the left bank of the river Indre (river), Indre. History Loch ...

.

The destruction of buildings during the Revolution

On 2 November 1789 the

National Assembly In politics, a national assembly is either a unicameral legislature, the lower house of a bicameral legislature, or both houses of a bicameral legislature together. In the English language it generally means "an assembly composed of the repr ...

decided that all ecclesiastical possessions were to be placed at the disposal of the nation; the following year the property was sold by lots. On 10 May 1790 a first visit to Le Liget was made by the agents of the district of Chemillé-sur-Indrois. On this first visit, they identified 12 Carthusian monks. Two days later, a first inventory of the property took place, during which inspectors enumerated 6,900 volumes in the library. The charterhouse was purchased as

property of the state Property is a system of rights that gives people legal control of valuable things, and also refers to the valuable things themselves. Depending on the nature of the property, an owner of property may have the right to consume, alter, share, re ...

on 19 August 1791 for 25,300 ''livres'' by Louis Ours Victor Philippe Potier de La Berthellière, Court Judge of Loches, and John Ondet, a merchant of the same city. The buildings were transformed into stables. The Corroirie was, in turn, sold on 1 June 1791 for 7,000 ''livres'' to Martin Legrand. The departure of the Carthusian monks seems to have taken place during February 1791.

Rebuilding the domain in the 19th century

On August 6, 1837, Côme-Édmond Marsay, former mayor of Loches, bought part of the former charterhouse, specifically, the cloister, the harvest room and the chapel. He died in 1838. On December 13, 1862, his two sons Edward and Arthur, having reached their majority, shared the ownership. After several transactions, Arthur de Marsay became sole owner of the whole property, and undertook the initial work of conservation. In Le Liget he acquired land and strove to restore the "desert". At his death in 1888, his second son, René de Marsay, inherited the property and continued the work of his father. In 1899, he managed to restore the Corroirie but died in 1910 leaving no children. After

World War I World War I or the First World War (28 July 1914 – 11 November 1918), also known as the Great War, was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War I, Allies (or Entente) and the Central Powers. Fighting to ...

, the land passed to Henri de Marsay, his nephew, who moved to Le Liget in July 1919 with his wife. At his death in 1975, the property covered 700 hectares. The land was then divided among his six daughters. Much of the property latterly belonged to Mme Elie Benoît Arnould, born Anne-Marie de Marsay (died 2023). The remainder, including the Corroirie, is occupied by the Comtesse Guy Boula de Mareüil, born Germaine de Marsay.

Description

Le Liget, like all charterhouses, is composed of two principal parts: the upper house, principally containing the cells of the Fathers, and the lower house, for the accommodation of the Brothers, known here as the Corroirie. Le Liget also has an isolated chapel, the Chapel of Saint-Jean-du-Liget, in a clearing not far from the upper house.

Upper house

Plans left by the architect Jacquemin Touraine in 1787 give an idea of the buildings that formed the upper house at Le Liget. Located at the bottom of a depression near a waterhole surrounded by forest, it included two courtyards. The outer courtyard was flanked by long buildings containing the common kitchen, bread oven, smithy and other workshops. The small cloister or inner courtyard overlooked the chapter house, refectory, library and church. Behind the church was the large cloister which contained the cemetery. The 18 individual cells of the monks surrounded this cloister. Each cell was completely independent, consisting of a small dwelling surrounded by a garden.

Lower house

About a kilometre from the upper house, a place of prayer, the lower house, also known as the

Corroirie La Corroirie is a fortified feudal stronghold belonging to the neighboring Chartreuse du Liget, located in the commune of Chemillé-sur-Indrois, in the Indre-et-Loire department, Centre-Val de Loire region. Likely founded at the end of the 11th ...

, has the purpose of ensuring the material existence of the monks (''Corroirie''the etymology of Corroirie is still subject to controversy. the word usually refers to an institution for the preparation of leather. Another origin, also likely could come from the ancient French word conréer or corroyer. This polysemous verb means arrange or prepare. The Corroirie is the place where food is prepared, where all that is necessary is made available for the maintenance of the Fathers and Brothers of the Carthusians. comes from the Latin ''Conderium'' or ''Conderia'', which refers to everything the monks need to survive: food, clothing and maintenance). There are mills, a press, and barns. A chapel, built in the 14th century, stands in the grounds of Corroirie of Liget. The latter is also the place which carries manorial rights. As such, the

Carthusian The Carthusians, also known as the Order of Carthusians (), are a Latin enclosed religious order of the Catholic Church. The order was founded by Bruno of Cologne in 1084 and includes both monks and nuns. The order has its own rule, called th ...

therefore constituted a feudal power in Touraine. They enjoyed all privileges, including the right to justice,H 16
page 93
accessed July 8, 2014. repeatedly renewed until 1789.

The Chapel of St. John

This chapel, built by Jean Sans Terre in the 12th century, was probably built to commemorate the original establishment of the first Carthusian Fathers at Liget, and shortly after it was founded. The Church of the Chartreuse like this chapel are to be classified in the secondary Romanesque style "Plantagenet". The interior had to be completely covered with frescoes dating from the end of the 12th century or beginning of the 13th century. It was abandoned by the Carthusians from the 16th century.

What Remains

The Chartreuse

* The monumental entrance gate is in the north wall of the monastery. From the 12th century, it is topped by a tympanum decorated with a bas-relief on the outside of St. Bruno (founder of the

Carthusian order The Carthusians, also known as the Order of Carthusians (), are a Latin Church, Latin enclosed religious order of the Catholic Church. The order was founded by Bruno of Cologne in 1084 and includes both monks and nuns. The order has its own rul ...

) and inside

John the Baptist John the Baptist ( – ) was a Jewish preacher active in the area of the Jordan River in the early first century AD. He is also known as Saint John the Forerunner in Eastern Orthodoxy and Oriental Orthodoxy, John the Immerser in some Baptist ...

praying, the patron saint of the monastery. * Nothing remains of the Romanesque church, whose construction was completed in 1189, the walls of the

nave The nave () is the central part of a church, stretching from the (normally western) main entrance or rear wall, to the transepts, or in a church without transepts, to the chancel. When a church contains side aisles, as in a basilica-type ...

in four sections. The facade still has its arched door. The arches and the tower which were built on top of the

chancel In church architecture, the chancel is the space around the altar, including the Choir (architecture), choir and the sanctuary (sometimes called the presbytery), at the liturgical east end of a traditional Christian church building. It may termi ...

and

apse In architecture, an apse (: apses; from Latin , 'arch, vault'; from Ancient Greek , , 'arch'; sometimes written apsis; : apsides) is a semicircular recess covered with a hemispherical Vault (architecture), vault or semi-dome, also known as an ' ...

which closed the dormitory have disappeared. Acoustic pottery is embedded in the walls of the nave to improve the sound inside the church. * The rectangular grand cloister - a characteristic architectural element of Carthusian monasteries - whose reconstruction had begun two years before the start of the French Revolution under the direction of Touraine architect Jean-Bernard-Abraham Jacquemin. is badly damaged. Little remains of the west wing. On the walls of grand cloister are still visible several windows that allowed the serving of meals, taken in their cells by hermit monks. * The walls of the protected area of the Chartreuse are high. At each corner was built a

watchtower A watchtower or guardtower (also spelt watch tower, guard tower) is a type of military/paramilitary or policiary tower used for guarding an area. Sometimes fortified, and armed with heavy weaponry, especially historically, the structures are ...

. In the northwest corner of the cloister is a more elaborate

watchtower A watchtower or guardtower (also spelt watch tower, guard tower) is a type of military/paramilitary or policiary tower used for guarding an area. Sometimes fortified, and armed with heavy weaponry, especially historically, the structures are ...

. Such a defense and protection were built following the

religious wars A religious war or a war of religion, sometimes also known as a holy war (), is a War, war and conflict which is primarily caused or justified by differences in religion and beliefs. In the modern period, there are frequent debates over the exte ...

during which the monastery was plundered and devastated several times.

The Corroirie

A little more than east of the monastery, along the D760 road, the Corroirie retained important vestiges of its buildings. * The fortified gate, rebuilt in the 15th century, is in the form of a square tower provided with a walkway protected by

battlements A battlement, in defensive architecture, such as that of city walls or castles, comprises a parapet (a defensive low wall between chest-height and head-height), in which gaps or indentations, which are often rectangular, occur at intervals t ...

, breached by a door and a postern formerly defended by drawbridges. * The chapel dates from the end of the 12th century, but was raised in the 15th century in two stages; the first is equipped with

arrowslit An arrowslit (often also referred to as an arrow loop, loophole or loop hole, and sometimes a balistraria) is a narrow vertical aperture in a fortification through which an archer can launch arrows or a crossbowman can launch Crossbow bolt, bolts ...

s. Its very simple plan has a nave with an apse extended by two four-sided bays. * The prison is a turret isolated from the other buildings. Its only access was through a door opening upstairs; the cell being located on the ground floor.

The Chapel of St. John of Liget

Built in the twelfth century, the chapel, dedicated to Saint-Jean-Baptiste, is located in the town of Sennevières, bordering

Chemillé-sur-Indrois Chemillé-sur-Indrois (, literally ''Chemillé on Indrois'') is a commune in the Indre-et-Loire department, central France. Geography The Indrois flows west through the commune and crosses the village. Population See also * Communes of th ...

about "as the crow flies" southwest of chartreuse, back from the road from

Loches Loches (; ) is a Communes of France, commune in the Departments of France, department of Indre-et-Loire, Centre-Val de Loire, France. It is situated southeast of Tours by road, on the left bank of the river Indre (river), Indre. History Loch ...

to

Montrésor Montrésor () is a commune in the Indre-et-Loire department, Centre-Val de Loire, France. It is a member of Les Plus Beaux Villages de France (The Most Beautiful Villages of France) Association. Geography The village lies on the right bank of ...

. It is almost in its original state. It probably commemorates the original settlement of monks in the region. It was built in the last quarter of the 12th century on a circular plan, of diameter and height ), but less than 25 years later, a

nave The nave () is the central part of a church, stretching from the (normally western) main entrance or rear wall, to the transepts, or in a church without transepts, to the chancel. When a church contains side aisles, as in a basilica-type ...

was added that was long, which was destroyed; one can see the cutaways on the curved wall of the chapel. Eight

semicircular In mathematics (and more specifically geometry), a semicircle is a one-dimensional locus of points that forms half of a circle. It is a circular arc that measures 180° (equivalently, radians, or a half-turn). It only has one line of symmetr ...

windows illuminate the rotunda. Some of the frescoes decorating the chapel have survived; they are on the panels which separate windows. Dating from the early 13th century, they figuratively illustrate the great mysteries of

Christianity Christianity is an Abrahamic monotheistic religion, which states that Jesus in Christianity, Jesus is the Son of God (Christianity), Son of God and Resurrection of Jesus, rose from the dead after his Crucifixion of Jesus, crucifixion, whose ...

. Restoration work was undertaken in 2008.

Sources

Works used for writing this article

* Archives Départementales d'Indre-et-Loire (Departmental Archives of Indre-et-Loire), H 167 to H 193 * * *

Other books on the subject

*

Notes

References

References From the Departmental Archives of Indre-et-Loire

Other References

External links

* * * {{Authority control Carthusian monasteries in France Buildings and structures in Indre-et-Loire