Getaway weekend: Villeneuve-lez-Avignon and its secret 14th century Charterhouse
This charming little town on the banks of the Rhône conceals treasures of heritage including the Charterhouse, an exceptional place dating from the 14th century.
Villeneuve-lez-Avignon welcomed popes and cardinals from the time when Avignon was the capital of their kingdom, in the 14th century. From this piece of history, the medieval city has preserved an exceptional heritage, less known than the Avignon palace but just as fascinating.
Along its narrow mineral streets, one guesses the splendor of yesteryear of the clergy. The cardinal’s liveries, summer residences of the popes, today private houses, testify to this period, like the Priory, where today the sweet sin of gluttony is committed. This former 14th century cloister has been a starred institution for many years. We have lunch there under the trellises of wisteria facing the priest’s garden. But the most beautiful treasure is hidden in the heart of the cardinal city. You have to be attentive rue de la République to find the paved alley, lined with plane trees that leads there. The vast Charterhouse with its church, its three cloisters, its gardens, its chapel and its cells has existed for eight centuries as its order wished: secret and discreet and just as Pope Innocent VI imagined it, breaking with the excesses of opulence of its predecessors.
On entering the church, it is its elegant sobriety that seizes and invites meditation, one of the three pillars of the Carthusian monks along with solitude and silence. The monks’ cells surround the small cloister with greenery, an enclosed paradise for the Carthusians who live recluse in these austere rooms where they pray from 2:50 am, sleep and eat there. A brother brings them the meal through a serving hatch, a small double-entry cupboard near the door. Upstairs, they have a room used for manual work where they make small objects.
Carthusians rarely leave their cell
The Carthusians lead a spartan existence and only leave their cell to cultivate their garden, almost in a Voltairian way. They take care of their flowers and pay homage to the creator. They leave their cell to pray or… to go to prison. Behind a strong studded wooden door, in one of the seven spaces – as many as the deadly sins – of 12 m2 with a table, a bed and a small skylight, the brother is serving his sentence which cannot exceed one year.
An unfindable treasure
800 years later, the prison hosts contemporary installations and the charterhouse has become a cultural center that offers several events including the polar festival. In the summer, she lives in connection with the Festival d’Avignon and throughout the year, welcomes her in residence, within the cells of the Carthusians, the authors. They are also occasionally transformed into spaces for the presentation of temporary exhibitions. Visitors now wander through the cloister of the cemetery which served as a necropolis for more than 600 monks. Around the Saint-Jean cloister where the brothers threshed the grain, tourists had a drink. Who knows ? Perhaps during their visit they passed very close to the treasure of the Carthusians. For eight centuries, it has not been found.
The chartreuse, 17-5 alley of Mûriers, Villeneuve-lez-Avignon. Every day from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. and from 2 p.m. to 5 p.m. 8€, 6.50€. chartreuse.org
And also
Where to eat ?
The city has a slew of good, even very good restaurants, the most essential of which, The prayer, to be tested as soon as it reopens after the winter break. Not far from there, Piazza San Marco, Natureabsolute and The emulsion are among the highly recommended tables. The first offers audacious and ethical cuisine; the second favors dishes cooked at low temperature which change every day. Finally, the Bronzini house located in an old oil mill is a charming address, where it is pleasant to have lunch in winter near the large fireplace.
Or sleep ?
The Hotel de l’Atelier is a haven of peace full of charm in the heart of the city. This former 16th century silk workshop offers rooms around €80 (hoteldelatelier.com). On leaving town, the YMCAs Villeneuve-lez-Avignon has very low prices and a breathtaking view of the city of the Popes. In a less rootsy and more chic register, perched on the foothills of the Philippe Le Bel tower, the (guest) house Orsini also offers a superb panorama of Avignon.
The city at polar time
This is the unmissable meeting place for thriller lovers. Until November 13, the Charterhouse welcomes authors for signing sessions, meetings and round tables. Animations and exhibitions take place throughout the city as well as readings. This year, the festival is enriched by three cinema evenings, including one dedicated to Stephen King. Finally, who from Max Monnehay, Gilles Vincent, Jean-Luc Bizien, Frédéric Paulin, Olivier Bordaçarre or Sylvie Cagninacci will receive the readers’ prize?