The Franciscans are thought to have settled in Parthenay during the 13th century, within the walled enclosure of the town. The first documentary mention of the convent dates from 1269, and it is believed that its founder was Hugh II of Parthenay-Larchevêque († 1271), lord of Parthenay, who was buried in the convent church after his death.
Due to the loss of its archives, little information is available about the history of this house. Today, only three bays of the original conventual church survive. It was originally a single-nave building with five bays and a flat-ended choir with a large window. The first two bays were lost in the mid-20th century. In the 16th century, a chapel was added to the north side. No remains are preserved of the cloister or the convent buildings, which stood to the south of the church.
Illustration from La Gâtine historique et monumentale (1876)
- CAVAILLÈS, Maria; i altres (2011). Le couvent des Cordeliers de Parthenay (Deux-Sèvres) : étude des vitraux et des sépultures. Aquitania, vol. 27
- COLLE, Jean-Robert (1946). En Gâtine. Niort: Vieux Marais
- LEDAIN, Bélisaire (1858). Histoire de la ville de Parthenay, de ses anciens seigneurs et de la Gâtine du Poitou. París: Durand
- LEDAIN, Bélisaire (1876). La Gâtine historique et monumentale. París: Claye
- OCHIER, Hilaire (1952). L’église des Cordeliers de Parthenay. Bulletin de la Société historique et scientifique des Deux-Sèvres, vol. IX
The church of the former Cordeliers is located on Rue des Cordeliers in Parthenay, north of Niort and west of Poitiers