Immeuble (reste du Noviciat des Jésuites)
MonumentHidden Treasure
Immeuble (reste du Noviciat des Jésuites), located in Bordeaux (Gironde), 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
- Bordeaux, Gironde, Nouvelle-Aquitaine
- Visit
- Closed to visitors
- Mérimée Reference
- PA00083275
An eloquent vestige of the Jesuit novitiate founded in 1593 in the heart of Bordeaux, this 17th-century complex reveals the architectural power of the Society of Jesus before its shock dissolution in 1762.
History
Just around the corner from Rue du Noviciat and Rue du Portail, in the dense fabric of old Bordeaux, stands a fragment of sober, majestic architecture that bears witness to one of the most eventful pages in French religious history. This building - or rather what remains of a much larger complex - is the discreet survivor of a Jesuit novitiate that had a profound influence on the intellectual and spiritual life of the capital of Gironde for almost two centuries. What is immediately striking is the remarkable architectural unity of the facades that run from number 7 to number 19 of the street in question. This is no accident: these apparently separate buildings were originally one and the same, designed and built as a coherent whole in the 17th century. Beneath their ordinary appearance lies the memory of a major religious institution, with a chapel, a novitiate house and a monumental door proudly bearing the coat of arms of its generous donors. The visitor experience here is that of an "open-air" urban heritage: no admission ticket, no exhibition room, but a stroll through the town that rewards the attentive eye. The façades of Bordeaux limestone, the rigorous proportions of the openings, and certain sculpted details that are still legible despite centuries and transformations, tell those who know how to read them of the architectural ambitions of the Society of Jesus. The urban setting itself is part of the story: the streets that border the site still bear the names "Noviciat" and "Portail", an unintentional tribute to the partial destruction of the complex in the early 19th century. Bordeaux, a UNESCO World Heritage Site for the richness of its Enlightenment architecture, offers here a little-known and fascinating counterpoint: that of a Baroque and Jesuit Bordeaux, predating the great urban reconstruction of the eighteenth century.
Architecture
The surviving buildings illustrate the Jesuit conventual architecture of the 17th century, characterised by a classical rigour tinged with Baroque influences from Italy, which the Society of Jesus disseminated throughout Catholic Europe. The blond limestone façades, a material emblematic of Bordeaux construction, are organised according to a sober, orderly composition: regular bays, windows with moulded frames, a measured interplay between full and empty spaces that expresses both the spiritual discipline of the order and its concern for representation. The most remarkable architectural feature reported by the sources is the unity of composition of the buildings numbered 7 to 19: although the subsequent parcelling out of the land created the illusion of separate buildings, their study reveals that they were originally designed as a single building. This continuity of plan and elevation, perceptible on close examination of the façades, is the sign of a coherent overall architectural project, probably designed by an architect associated with the order. The monumental gateway erected in 1653, traces of which may still remain in the existing building, was the ornamental pivot of the complex, in keeping with the Jesuit tradition of asserting the Order's presence in the urban space through a strong architectural sign. The materials used - limestone ashlar for the structures and tiles for the roofs, in keeping with the building practices of the Bordeaux region - are fully in keeping with the regional tradition, testifying to the Jesuits' skill in adapting their architecture to local resources and know-how while maintaining the principles of composition specific to their order.
Related Figures
François Borgia — troisième général de la Compagnie de Jésus, initiateur de la fondation du collège jésuite à Bordeaux vers 1571Ignace de Loyola — fondateur de la Compagnie de Jésus, dont les règles architecturales et spirituelles inspirèrent la construction du noviciatLes donateurs bordelais de 1653 — mécènes anonymes dont les armoiries ornaient la porte monumentale de la chapelleLes parlementaires bordelais — acteurs de la dissolution de la Compagnie de Jésus en France en 1762La Ville de Bordeaux — acquéreur des bâtiments en 1766, responsable du lotissement puis de la préservation partielle de l'ensemble
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Frequently Asked Questions
Where is Immeuble (reste du Noviciat des Jésuites) located?
Immeuble (reste du Noviciat des Jésuites) is located in Bordeaux, Gironde department, Nouvelle-Aquitaine region, France.
When was Immeuble (reste du Noviciat des Jésuites) built?
Immeuble (reste du Noviciat des Jésuites) dates back to a period built during the Renaissance (16th century).
Is Immeuble (reste du Noviciat des Jésuites) open to visitors?
Immeuble (reste du Noviciat des Jésuites) is currently closed to visitors.