Couvent des Cordeliers d'Embrun

Couvent des Cordeliers d'Embrun is a former Franciscan friary in Embrun, in the Hautes-Alpes department of France. Only its northern chapels survive today, now home to the town's tourist office, and the site's main draw is a set of Gothic-era murals from the 15th and 16th centuries uncovered beneath layers of plaster.

When was the friary first established?

Franciscan friars first settled in Embrun in the 13th century, in a friary built outside the town walls under the authority of the Dauphins of Viennois, who ruled the Embrunois as counts at the time. Standing beyond the fortifications left the building exposed, and it was indeed destroyed in the 14th century. Dauphin Humbert II then had the community rebuilt in a safer spot, inside the town walls of Embrun.

Why did the pope want Franciscans in Embrun specifically?

The friars' presence carried a clear religious-political purpose. By a bull dated 7 March 1352, Pope Clement VI formally established the Friars Minor in Embrun, expecting them to help counter the Waldensian movement, treated at the time as a heresy spreading through the Alpine valleys. The Cordeliers were meant to serve not only as pastors but as a check on doctrinal orthodoxy in the region.

How was the town-centre friary rebuilt?

Construction of the new friary inside the walls ran from 1413 to 1443, and its church was consecrated in 1447. The community belonged to the Franciscan province of Saint Francis, whose general chapter met at Moirans, near Grenoble. Thirteen friars lived there, two of whom dined daily at the table of the Archbishop of Embrun — a detail that hints at how closely the convent was tied to the local church hierarchy.

What happened to the buildings after the French Revolution?

The Revolution ended religious life at the site, and the church itself was turned into a grain store. The following century was harsh on the structure: a serious fire damaged part of the complex in 1907, and in 1912 the nave and south aisle were lost for good. What remains today is essentially the group of northern chapels, later restored and adapted to house Embrun's tourist office.

What can visitors still see in the surviving chapels?

The chief interest of the surviving section lies in its vaulted side chapels, decorated with murals from the 15th and 16th centuries attributed to Italian painters. These paintings lay hidden under plaster for a long time and were only uncovered and restored between 1969 and 1971. They depict religious scenes, including the Visitation and the Nativity of the Virgin. Four side chapels bearing these murals have been protected as a historic monument since 19 February 1971, and three of them are open to visitors today.

Frequently asked questions

Where exactly is the Couvent des Cordeliers located? It stands in Embrun, in the Hautes-Alpes department, at coordinates 44.5651, 6.4957.

Is there an entrance fee for the chapels? No, access to the three chapels open to the public is free, and a booklet covering the building's history is available on site.

What is the building used for today? The surviving northern chapels now house the Embrun tourist office.

Why were the friars called "Cordeliers"? The name comes from the knotted cord (French: cordelière) Franciscans wore around the waist as part of their habit, giving rise to this common French nickname for the order.

Does anything remain of the original medieval complex besides the chapels? No — the nave and south aisle were destroyed for good in 1912, following an earlier fire in 1907, so only the surviving side chapels can be visited today.