Convent of the Cordeliers of Briançon
Saint-François de Briançon / Franciscans of Briançon
(Briançon, Hautes-Alpes)
This convent was founded in Briançon in 1388 by the Avignon Pope Clement VII to combat the Waldensian heresy, following an earlier authorization granted by Gregory XI in 1377, which was never carried out. The convent suffered the effects of a fire in 1692. Closed during the Revolution, in the 19th century it was repurposed to house a hospital, which led to the disappearance of the convent (1824). Now, only its church remains, a single nave structure that has been recently restored. Inside, there are still significant remnants of mural paintings.
Wall paintings of the Cordeliers church
Photo by Franck Ripert, in Panoramio
The Pope of Avignon, Clement VII
Henri Serrur, 1839
Palace of the Popes, Avignon
The convent before its destruction
Detail of the Plan de Briançon (18th century)
Bibliothèque nationale de France
Bibliography:
- ALBERT, Antoine (1783). Histoire géographique, naturelle, ecclésiastique et civile du diocèse d'Embrun. Vol. 2
- CHABRAND, Jean-Armand (1888). Briançon administré par ses consuls. Gap: Jouglard
- WADDING, Lucca (1734). Annales Minorum seu Trium Ordinum a S. Francisco Institutorum, Volum 9. Roma
Location:
The church of the Cordeliers is located within the Briançon citadel, next to the Town Hall