Ancien couvent des Carmélites, actuel couvent des Oblats
MonumentHidden Treasure
Ancien couvent des Carmélites, actuel couvent des Oblats, located in Aix-en-Provence (Bouches-du-Rhône), is a Renaissance château built in the 16th century. The monument is currently closed to visitors.
Key facts
- Type
- autre
- Period
- Renaissance (16th century)
- Location
- Aix-en-Provence, Bouches-du-Rhône, Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur
- Visit
- Closed to visitors
- GPS
- 43.5267, 5.4518
- Mérimée Reference
- PA00080982
In the heart of Aix-en-Provence, the former Carmelite convent boasts a 17th-century Baroque chapel with painted decorations attributed to Trophime Bigot, a discreet jewel in the crown of centuries-old Provençal spirituality.
History
Nestling in the urban fabric of Aix-en-Provence, the former Carmelite convent - now occupied by the Oblates of Mary Immaculate - is one of those Baroque convent complexes that Provence knows so well how to hide behind its austere façades. Founded in 1624, the building elegantly combines the rigour of the mendicant orders with the ornamental profusion typical of southern Baroque art, two seemingly contradictory trends that add to the charm of this place.
Architecture
The convent complex is in the tradition of 17th-century Provençal Baroque religious architecture, characterised by a sober facade of local ashlar with golden highlights, contrasting with the richness of the interior ornamentation. The new chapel, built between 1695 and 1701 to designs by Thomas Veyrier, bears witness to a tempered Baroque style, typical of the Louis-Quatorzian classicism that influenced the decorative fervour of the south of France at the time: the structure remains legible and orderly, but the sculpted details and the staging of the interior space create an atmosphere of controlled fervour. The façade, on which Laurent Vallon is known to have worked, is probably arranged with pilasters and cornices that rhythmically punctuate the elevation, according to the canons of classical composition adapted to southern taste. The interior of the chapel is the architectural and artistic highlight of the complex. The painted decorations attributed to Trophime Bigot, with their dramatic use of light and shadow, give the liturgical spaces a rare emotional depth. The interior volumes, typical of convent chapels from this period, combine a single nave, shallow side chapels and a separate nuns' choir. The materials, typically Provençal - Bibémus limestone or La Couronne stone, lime renderings - harmonise with the surrounding urban fabric of Aix, making the convent an organic part of the built heritage of the county capital.
Related Figures
Trophime Bigot — peintre caravaggesque arlésien (v. 1579-1650), auteur des décors peints de la chapelleThomas Veyrier — sculpteur et architecte aixois, auteur des plans de la nouvelle chapelle (1695-1701)Laurent Vallon — architecte provençal, attesté pour la conception de la façade du couventEugène de Mazenod — fondateur des Oblats de Marie Immaculée à Aix-en-Provence en 1816, canonisé en 1995Thérèse d'Ávila — réformatrice du Carmel dont l'impulsion spirituelle est à l'origine de la fondation (1624)
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Frequently Asked Questions
Where is Ancien couvent des Carmélites, actuel couvent des Oblats located?
Ancien couvent des Carmélites, actuel couvent des Oblats is located in Aix-en-Provence, Bouches-du-Rhône department, Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur region, France.
When was Ancien couvent des Carmélites, actuel couvent des Oblats built?
Ancien couvent des Carmélites, actuel couvent des Oblats dates back to a period built during the Renaissance (16th century).
Is Ancien couvent des Carmélites, actuel couvent des Oblats open to visitors?
Ancien couvent des Carmélites, actuel couvent des Oblats is currently closed to visitors.