Par Writing Bordeaux
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Rue Magendie, in Bordeaux, near the Sainte-Eulalie church, the DRAC (Regional Directorate of Cultural Affairs) sits arounda cloister steeped in history. Built in 1501 at the instigation of Jeanne de Valois, known as Jeanne de France, daughter of Louis XI, it is one of the best preserved in New Aquitaine and the only one in Bordeaux built under the old regime still complete. Nuns, prostitutes, gunpowder and canelés, the soubresaults of history give this listed monument many stories to tell.
In 1520, Jacquette de Lansac, pious mistress of King François 1er, attached this convent to the Annonciades, a female monastic religious order to which this native of Gironde dedicated her life. ” widows and young girls devoted themselves to this order”, tells us Agathe Corre, guide lecturer in Bordeaux.
Historical monuments
The construction of the chapel undertaken in 1520 by the Poitevin architect Mathurin Galopin, was completed by Guillaume Médion who was notably responsible for creating the choir of the building, later decorated with stained glass windows signed by a master of the genre, the glass painter Henri Feur.
The place combines styles Gothic, with its wide cross-ribbed vaults, and the Renaissance style, characterized by a sculpture attributed to the “master of Biron” and an arcade, a monumental balcony, which divides the space and at the time allowed the recluses to follow mass without mixing with the rest of the faithful.
Behind the chapel, the cloister displays its charms. Place of passage and meditation at the heart of this architectural maze is a vestige of the original convent. Its columns erected in the 16th century again bring together different styles. The Renaissance spirit of some is reminiscent of Ancient Greece, the fabulous creatures and plant motifs adorning the others refer to medieval art.
“In 1974, the chapel, the cloister, its galleries and the surrounding wall of the convent, a former fortification of medieval Bordeaux, received protection or registration as historical monuments”, explains François-Xavier Maillart, which confers to these constructions different degrees of protection, the chapel and the north gallery being the best off.
Scandal among the nuns
Until the 1970s, the place has always served women. First to the sisters who lived there in community, until the day when “a scandal affected the nuns”, explains François-Xavier Maillart, in charge of the protection of historical monuments.
The vagueness remains on the precise nature of the scandal, but at the time, “moral affairs were common among nuns”slides our guide.
The case does not help, and the convent closes its doors shortly before the Revolution before becoming a saltpetre where gunpowder is produced, according to Agathe Corre. “The monastery was probably used as an ammunition stock,” explains the guide.
marginalized women
In 1808, a new start. Under the leadership of Marie-Thérèse de Lamourous, the convent of the Annonciades once again becomes a place of life, a “House of Mercy” intended to welcome “marginalised women”, details François-Xavier Maillart. The premises could accommodate up to 300 residents.
At that time, the district on the outskirts of the city had a bad reputation. The convent then becomes the place of refuge for girls “of joy” or “bad lives” who wanted to repent, says Agathe Corre.
This refuge collected the flayed souls until 1971. Its usefulness having decreased over the years, the State bought it in 1971 to install archives and headquarters of various jurisdictions of the Ministry of Justice.
Meanwhile, Marie-Thérèse de Lamourous died. Buried in the chapel of the convent, his remains moved with the house of mercyat Pian Médoc.
What if canelés were born here?
“It is said that the women of the convent are the creators of the canelés, that they collected egg yolks from the surrounding properties and that they asked the sailors for rum and vanilla”, explains Agathe Corre, specifying that he does not These are just urban legends.
François Xavier Maillart confirms that nothing proves that the famous Bordeaux specialty was born here. Baking was indeed an activity within the convent. A 19th century text evoking a recipe for canelas, another kind of delicacy, could, according to him, be the cause of the confusion.
Synthesis between heritage and modernity
The 90s will have been those of the great rehabilitation for the convent, reassigned to the Ministry of Culture. “The ministry then leads a proactive real estate policy”, explains Vincent Cassagnaud, architect of the buildings of France and head of the Departmental Unit of Architecture and Heritage of the Gironde.
On this occasion, the old chapel, the cloister and the monumental portal of 54 rue Magendie were restored under the leadership of the architectural firm Brochet-Lajus-Pueyo. The trio tried to “to synthesize the heritage and the necessary adaptation for the installation of an administration”the DRAC, explains Vincent Cassagnaud.
Every corner of the site is teeming with examples. The glass and steel confers a certain modernity while letting light pass on the Gothic, the Renaissance and the medieval. The place can be visited during Heritage Days. Concerts and other performances also take place in the deconsecrated chapel. Researchers and academics can go to the documentation center to consult books. Thus continues the tradition of hospitality at the Annonciades convent.
At the initiative of this article, Maeva Cosme co-signs this article with Richard Monteil.
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2023-07-16 11:06:11
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