Chartreuse d'Auray
AbbeyHidden Treasure
Chartreuse d'Auray, located in Brech (Département 56), is a Renaissance château built in the 16th century. The monument is currently closed to visitors.
Key facts
- Type
- Abbey
- Period
- Renaissance (16th century)
- Location
- Brech, Département 56, Bretagne
- Visit
- Closed to visitors
- GPS
- 47.6842, -3.0018
- Mérimée Reference
- PA00091057
A haven of silence in Brittany, the Chartreuse d'Auray houses a 17th-century cloister and a moving sepulchral chapel dedicated to the emigrants shot at Quiberon, adorned with bas-reliefs by David d'Angers.
History
Nestling in the greenery of Brittany on the outskirts of Auray, the Chartreuse de Brech is one of the most unique monastic complexes in Morbihan. Founded by the Carthusian monks in the 17th century, it combines the serenity typical of the Order of Saint Bruno with an exceptional historical significance: its stones bear the memory of the royalist emigrants massacred after the Quiberon disaster in 1795. This dual heritage - spiritual and memorial - gives the building a rare atmosphere, somewhere between monastic contemplation and the gravity of history. What really sets the Chartreuse d'Auray apart from any other Breton monument is the harmonious coexistence of its spaces: the contemplative cloister with its rhythmic galleries, the vaulted refectory whose painted panelling bears witness to refined interior art, and the sepulchral chapel inaugurated in 1829, a veritable pantheon of the Vendée and Breton counter-revolution. The white marble bas-reliefs attributed to the great sculptor David d'Angers display a sober and powerful emotion, worthy of the finest neoclassical funerary monuments in France. The visit invites you to wander slowly and attentively. You move from the shady cloister, where silence seems to have been preserved for centuries, to the softly coloured refectory, before entering the sepulchral chapel through a wide archway framed by bas-reliefs. Each space reveals a detail - a wood paneling, a play of light on the grey stone, a commemorative inscription - that draws you in and provides food for thought. The green setting reinforces the majesty of the place. Enclosed in a green setting typical of the Morbihan bocage, the Carthusian monastery offers photographers soothing perspectives and visitors in search of a change of scenery a striking contrast to the hustle and bustle of the nearby Brittany coast. For anyone interested in the history of the French Revolution, monastic architecture or simply the beauty of ancient stonework, the Chartreuse d'Auray is a must-see.
Architecture
The Chartreuse d'Auray illustrates French monastic architecture of the 17th and 18th centuries in its most austere and uncluttered version, faithful to the spirit of the Cartusian order, which banished all superfluous ornamentation in favour of a spirituality of the essential. The cloister, the centrepiece of the complex, articulates the various buildings around a central space punctuated by galleries with stone arches, whose sober elegance is reminiscent of contemporary Provencal or Burgundian Carthusian monasteries. The refectory, built around 1630, is one of the most remarkable interiors on the site. Its panelled vault, decorated and painted around 1750, reflects a taste for discreet polychromy that tempers the rigour of the Cartusian style. The wood panelling that adorns the base of the walls lends a warm tone to this communal living space, bringing together local Breton craftsmanship and classical influences from Paris. The chapel, built around 1720, has a simple rectangular plan, typical of the period, with a soberly classicist façade. The sepulchral chapel, inaugurated in 1829, introduces a neoclassical and romantic sensibility to this older ensemble. Connected to the church by a wide archway, it houses the mausoleum overlooking the vault of bones, framed by two refined white marble bas-reliefs attributed to David d'Angers. The contrast between the whiteness of the sculpted marble and the surrounding Breton grey stone creates a particularly striking effect of solemnity, typical of the best commemorative works of the early 19th century.
Related Figures
Saint Bruno (fondateur de l'ordre cartusien en 1084, dont la règle inspire l'architecture et la vie du site)Général Lazare Hoche (commandant républicain qui ordonna la fusillade des émigrés de Quiberon en 1795)Pierre-Jean David dit David d'Angers (sculpteur, auteur présumé des bas-reliefs de marbre blanc de la chapelle sépulcrale)Charles X (roi de France sous le règne duquel la chapelle sépulcrale fut inaugurée en 1829)Les émigrés et chouans fusillés de Quiberon (plus de 700 victimes dont les ossements reposent dans le caveau)Comte de Sombreuil (l'un des chefs royalistes les plus illustres fusillés après Quiberon, figure symbolique du mémorial)
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Frequently Asked Questions
Where is Chartreuse d'Auray located?
Chartreuse d'Auray is located in Brech, Département 56 department, Bretagne region, France.
When was Chartreuse d'Auray built?
Chartreuse d'Auray dates back to a period built during the Renaissance (16th century).
Is Chartreuse d'Auray open to visitors?
Chartreuse d'Auray is currently closed to visitors.