Montmerle Charterhouse

Montmerle Charterhouse (French: Chartreuse Notre-Dame de Montmerle du Val-Saint-Étienne, Latin: Mons Merula) is a former charterhouse, or Carthusian monastery, located in Lescheroux, in the arrondissement of Bourg-en-Bresse and the canton of Saint-Trivier-de-Courtes, in the department of Ain, France.

History

Benedictines

The first monastery established here was a Benedictine priory, founded in 1070 by Hugh d'Asnières des Bois. It was subordinate to Seillon Priory, and both were later subordinate to Joug-Dieu Abbey.

Hugh of Colemi (Hugo Coloniacum) in the Kingdom of Jerusalem granted lands to found a grange here exempt from feudal duties, in 1202.[1]

Carthusians

Like Seillon, Montmerle became a Carthusian community in 1210, following a bull issued by Pope Innocent III, the 36th Carthusian foundation.[2]

Montmerle Charterhouse was dissolved in 1792 during the French Revolution, when some of its paintings, including a number by Nicolas-Guy Brenet, were moved to the parish church of Pont-de-Vaux.[3][4]

Present day

The monastery is in ruins, except for the main entrance[5] and the mill.[6]

Sources

Genton, André, nd: Montmerle: la chartreuse oubliée.
Schwengel, Georg, nd (published 1981): Propago sacri Ordinis cartusiensis [per Franciam]; [pars 2:] de provinciis Burgundiæ, Franciæ, Picardiæ, Teutoniæ, et Angliæ [British Library London additional manuscript 17085, published in] Analecta cartusiana, No 90.2. Salzburg: Institut für Anglistik und Amerikanistik (in German and Latin)
Watercolour of Montmerle Charterhouse, late 17th or early 18th century, possibly by Louis Boudan (in French)
Gallica BNF: Same image, larger

References

Note by T. Smith, tr., in Geoffroi de Villehardouin, The Chronicle of Geoffry de Villehardouin: marshal of Champagne and Romania London, 1829 :172f.
Samuel Guichenon, Histoire de Bresse et de Bugey Lyon, 1550:81f.
Dictionnaire géographique universel, 1831, vol. 8, s.v. "Pont-de-Vaux".
"St-Bruno biographies". Archived from the original on 2011-07-07. Retrieved 2011-01-23.
Photograph of the surviving entrance of the former charterhouse
Moulins de l'Ain: Montmerle Archived 2011-07-21 at the Wayback Machine

46°23′34″N 5°7′34″E

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[1] Note by T. Smith, tr., in Geoffroi de Villehardouin, The Chronicle of Geoffry de Villehardouin: marshal of Champagne and Romania London, 1829 :172f.

[2] Samuel Guichenon, Histoire de Bresse et de Bugey Lyon, 1550:81f.

[3] Dictionnaire géographique universel, 1831, vol. 8, s.v. "Pont-de-Vaux".

[4] "St-Bruno biographies". Archived from the original on 2011-07-07. Retrieved 2011-01-23.

[5] Photograph of the surviving entrance of the former charterhouse

[6] Moulins de l'Ain: Montmerle Archived 2011-07-21 at the Wayback Machine