Monastery of Brou

According to tradition, Saint Gérard, Bishop of Mâcon between 886 and 926, retired to this place as a hermit after leaving office. Gérard died in 958, and some sources indicate that he was buried here, on a site already occupied in Gallo-Roman times. He is also said to have founded an early monastery on the same spot, although reliable documentary evidence only exists from 1084, by which time it was already a dependency of the Abbey of Saint-Pierre d’Ambronay (Ain).

The origin of this new monastic establishment lies in a vow made by Margaret of Bourbon, Duchess of Savoy (1438–1483), after a serious hunting accident suffered in 1480 by her husband, Philip II of Savoy (1438–1497). This vow obliged her to build a Benedictine monastery at Brou. Her premature death prevented its fulfilment, but after the death of her son, Duke Philibert II of Savoy (1480–1504), his widow, Margaret of Austria (1480–1530), undertook its execution. To this end, and in agreement with Prior Jean de Loriol, she obtained in 1505 a papal bull from Pope Julius II authorising the transfer of the parish of Brou to Notre-Dame de Bourg.

In 1513, construction of the church began; it was formally completed in 1532, although further minor modifications were made later. In 1557, the church suffered an attack that caused significant damage, leading to conservation problems in the years that followed. In 1658, the Augustinian friars of the French congregation replaced the Italian community and, with better financial resources, were able to undertake a comprehensive restoration. Suppressed in 1790 during the Revolution, the monastery nevertheless benefited from a certain degree of protection from 1791 onwards, which limited material losses.

Within the monastic complex, the church stands out in particular, begun in 1513 and conceived on an imposing scale. Inside are three major tombs: at the centre of the chancel, that of Philibert II of Savoy; on the south side, that of his mother, Margaret of Bourbon († 1483); and on the north side, that of Margaret of Austria, founder of the monastery. The monastic choir, with its rear choir, the altarpiece of the Seven Joys of the Virgin, and the stained glass filling the large windows are also noteworthy. The remainder of the monastery is more modest in character, with various buildings arranged around three cloisters.