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The Franciscan Convent
(Couvent des Cordelières) - History
Count Thibault IV granted the
convent’s foundation charter in 1248, but the Franciscan nuns sent by
Saint Claire of Assisi (Saint Francis’ sister) arrived in Provins prior to
this date and were housed in the Count’s Palace until construction work
had been completed. Count Thibault IV and his successor - Thibault V -
both granted the convent substantial revenues. Donators received Papal
indulgences, and Jeanne of Navarre - wife of Philippe le Bel - gave
generously to the establishment of the convent. The Pope even granted
permission for the Counts of Champagne to stay there, and a special
residence was built to accommodate them.
Building work on the church and regular buildings continued until the
early 14th century. Holy Cross parish supplied chaplains and confessors,
but the convent’s prosperity was short-lived. It occupied a strategic
position outside the town walls, and was therefore used throughout history
by besieging forces. At the end of the 14th century the convent was laid
waste and abandoned by its occupants who sought refuge in the Palace. The
church was nearly destroyed and when the English army sacked Provins in
1432 they left it in ruins.
In the 15th century a new rectangular church was constructed projecting
from the west wing of the ruined convent, and this is the church that
subsists today. Built in between two pillages, the church burned on two
separate occasions but the repairs did not modify its appearance. The
wooden barrel vault covering the church was installed in 1580. There were
two separate entrances. The one in the west wall of the church gave access
via the cloister, while the south door had a small porch to shelter the
holy fathers as they came from their nearby lodging to officiate in the
church.
In 1505 the Archbishop gave the nuns permission to collect funds to
rebuild the convent. In 1560 the rashness of one of the sisters led to the
dormitory and part of the chapter house burning down. They were quickly
reconstructed, but when the Huguenots occupied the area around Provins in
1567 they were prevented from occupying the convent by the town governor
who had the building put to the torch - whereupon the nuns returned once
more to the Count’s Palace. The building was re-consecrated in July 1580.
Henri IV and a large number of his followers encamped there for 5 or 6
days in August 1592, but the inhabitants of Provins dislodged the King by
firing cannon at the royal pavilion. When the town surrendered in early
September 1592 the King ordered compensation for the losses and damage
suffered by the Franciscan nuns.
The abbess in charge of repair work this time was a historian named Jeanne
d’Alonville. Following her election in 1596 she made detailed research
into the convent’s past, and left a precious cartulary describing its
origins and history.
In 1622 the nuns abandoned their white habits in favour of the grey robes
of the Franciscan monks. Henceforth in charge of the convent’s spiritual
life, the monks’ position became highly ambiguous. Misconduct reached such
a level that the more responsible sisters demanded a change of spiritual
director and sought the protection of the Archbishop - who expelled the
monks and appointed a confessor. Supported by some of the nuns the monks
obtained a decree in their favour, but 1668 saw the publication of the
«factum for the nuns of Saint Catherine against the Franciscan monks»
exposing the infamous acts of which the monks were accused. Despite their
protests the monks had no way of proving their innocence, and in 1669 a
parliamentary decree placed the convent under the control of the
Archbishop.
In 1664 the community numbered over 30 souls, but by 1738 only 3 nuns
remained. The convent was officially closed in 1742 and become a general
hospital in 1743. A new congregation arrived to look after the poor, and
separate housing for male and female paupers was arranged at great expense.
The French Revolution solved a number of financial problems, since
numerous outbuildings became derelict and eventually collapsed. In 1791
the heart of Count Thibault V was brought in procession from the ruined
Dominican Convent and reunited with his mortal remains. In 1794 an armed
group seized the bones of the Counts of Champagne that had been gathered
there and threw them into the Canal dock. Thibault V’s heart, which was
housed in a little monument, was saved.
Once order had been restored the general hospital accommodated the needy
for almost 200 years. The square central courtyard was enclosed by main
lodges on three sides and by the 13th century church to the south.
Galleries used to run right round the courtyard, but today only the east
and west galleries remain (both saved by Prosper Mérimée in 1843 after the
administrators of Provins hospice had requested - and obtained - the
demolition of the south gallery). The older west gallery dates from the
13th century, while the east gallery is doubtless the result of building
work carried out in the early 16th century. The north gallery disappeared
when the north lodge was rebuilt in 1762, while the south gallery used to
stand against the remains of the 13th century church (whose foundations
can still be seen today).
In 1981 an annexe of the National Library was opened here to preserve,
restore and reproduce the written press. Fragile 19th and 20th century
paper is de-acidified and strengthened in its workshops where the
collections are prepared for microfilming. Storerooms provide optimal
conditions to stock the original documents and their microfilm copies.
The Franciscan Convent, which is now state property, has recently been
chosen to act as a storage site for the Museum of French National
Monuments.
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