Couvent des Ursulines
MonumentHidden Treasure
Couvent des Ursulines, located in Morlaix (Département 29), 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
- Morlaix, Département 29, Bretagne
- Visit
- Closed to visitors
- GPS
- 48.5773, -3.8207
- Mérimée Reference
- PA29000047
In the heart of Morlaix, this 17th-century convent conceals a choir with painted panelling of rare completeness and an intimate cloister built on a former quarry - a Breton conventual setting of surprising coherence.
History
Nestling in the urban fabric of Morlaix, the Ursuline convent is one of the best-preserved convent complexes in Brittany. Its original location - built directly on a former stone quarry - led to inventive architectural solutions, giving the buildings slopes and spatial layouts that are found nowhere else in the region. This geographical constraint, far from being a handicap, has given rise to an architecture full of character, where the levels are superimposed with a Benedictine logic. The monument is organised around a quadrilateral cloister with a lean-to roof, which was glazed over at the turn of the 20th century, and which in itself encapsulates the discreet genius of the religious community. The four wings, punctuated by a skilful interplay of stone dormers with triangular pediments and nineteenth-century wooden dormers, tell the story of two centuries of convent life, with no sharp breaks and a soothing formal continuity. But it is without doubt the nuns' choir that holds the biggest surprise. Untouched since the end of the 17th century, it retains its sculpted stalls, its prioress's pulpit and an exceptionally extensive programme of painted iconography: the Passion of Christ and the lives of the saints sit side by side on the ceiling with fifteen panels devoted to the divine Trinity, crowned by a central oval depicting God the Father surrounded by the heavenly court. Rare in France, this decorative integrity transforms the visit into a veritable immersion in Ursuline spirituality of the Grand Siècle. The gardens and orchards that extend from the buildings add a contemplative dimension to the visit. Visitors are invited to wander through a space where time seems suspended, between the Breton granite walls and the well-tended foliage, far from the hustle and bustle of tourism. The Ursuline Convent is just as much a place for lovers of religious history as it is for architecture enthusiasts or the simply curious in search of authenticity.
Architecture
The Ursuline convent is in the tradition of 17th-century French convent architecture, with a remarkable ability to adapt to the constraints of the site. The complex is built around a classical quadrilateral plan, the heart of which is a lean-to cloister - an economical and functional solution typical of provincial religious houses - which was glazed over at the beginning of the 20th century to improve comfort. The ubiquitous Breton granite gives the exterior facades their characteristic severity, tempered by the rhythm of the dormers: the triangular pedimented stone dormers from the seventeenth century interact with the passing wooden dormers or hanging windows added in the nineteenth century when the attics were converted into dormitories. This superimposition of successive campaigns creates a composite elevation, readable like an open book on the stages in the life of the convent. The conventual church, rectangular in plan, comprises three distinct areas: the nave accessible to the faithful, St Joseph's chapel to the south forming a false transept, and the nuns' choir to the north, linked to the lower part of the church by a covered gallery. It is in this choir that the architectural jewel of the monument resides. The elevations are entirely covered with panelling in two superimposed registers: moulded panels in the lower part, topped by painted panelling with an iconographic programme. The sculpted stalls, arranged in two rows, and the prioress's pulpit complete the exceptionally coherent liturgical furnishings. The painted ceiling, arranged in fifteen panels around a large central oval depicting God the Father and the heavenly court, is a masterpiece of Breton religious decorative art from the late 17th century. Its location on a former quarry results in differences in internal levels that accentuate the feeling of a living architecture, rooted in its land.
Related Figures
Sœurs ursulines de Tréguier — fondatrices de la communauté morlaisienne en 1638Jean-Baptiste Querinec — architecte breton auteur de la reprise de l'aile ouest en 1856Angèle Merici — fondatrice italienne de l'ordre des Ursulines au XVIe siècle, dont le charisme inspire l'ensemble du projetLes religieuses ursulines du XVIIe siècle — commanditaires et conceptrices du programme iconographique du choeur
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Frequently Asked Questions
Where is Couvent des Ursulines located?
Couvent des Ursulines is located in Morlaix, Département 29 department, Bretagne region, France.
When was Couvent des Ursulines built?
Couvent des Ursulines dates back to a period built during the Renaissance (16th century).
Is Couvent des Ursulines open to visitors?
Couvent des Ursulines is currently closed to visitors.