Convent of the Dominicans of Sisteron
Couvent des Dominicains de Sisteron / La Baume Convent
(Sisteron, Alpes-de-Haute-Provence)
This Dominican convent was built at the site of La Baume (now annexed to Sisteron) thanks to the intervention of Countess Beatrice of Savoy (c. 1198-c. 1267), widow of Ramon Berenguer V of Provence, who in 1248 donated the land necessary for its construction. At the end of the same year, the first stone of the church was laid, but it was not completed until 1252.
In 1329, a general chapter of the order was held there. In 1427, it was affected by a fire. During the second half of the 16th century, it suffered during the siege of Sisteron as part of the Wars of Religion; the convent was occupied, and when the friars returned, they found it in ruins. When it was restored, the church was only partially rebuilt, resulting in a shorter structure than the previous one. This restoration was not completed until well into the 17th century. The house endured until the Revolution. Now, it is partially preserved.
Iconographie des sceaux et bulles (1860)
Illustration from Gallia Dominicana (1903)
Old photograph by unknown author (undated)
Ministère de la Culture (France)
Médiathèque de l'architecture et du patrimoine - diffusion RMN
- GUYONNET François (2009). Les ordres mendiants dans le sud-est de la France (XIIIe - début XVIe siècle). Privat. Cahiers de Fanjeaux, núm. 44
- LAPLANE, Edouard de (1843). Histoire de Sisteron tirée de ses archives. Vol. 1 i 2. Digne: A. Guichard
- ROHAULT DE FLEURY, Georges (1903). Gallia Dominicana. Les couvents de St. Dominique au Moyen Âge. Vol. 2. París
The site of La Baume is east of the center of Sisteron, across the Durance