Montmerle Charterhouse Explained

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
• Watercolour of Montmerle Charterhouse, late 17th or early 18th century, possibly by Louis Boudan
• Gallica BNF: Same image, larger

Notes and References

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]
3. Dictionnaire géographique universel, 1831, vol. 8, s.v. "Pont-de-Vaux".
4. Web site: St-Bruno biographies . 2011-01-23 . dead . https://web.archive.org/web/20110707212821/http://baroque-stbruno.com/Francais_htm/a_biogcadres.htm . 2011-07-07 .
5. http://www.wooel.com/fr/PORCHE-D-ENTREE-DE-LA-CHARTREUSE-DE-MONTMERLE-Chateaux-et-Monuments-Lescheroux-24431.aspx Photograph of the surviving entrance of the former charterhouse
6. http://www.moulinsdelain.fr/spip.php?article4 Moulins de l'Ain: Montmerle