Ancien couvent Saint-Joseph

English translation

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History

The primitive convent was erected in 1552 by friar Mariano de Nebbio, founder of the Capuchin province of Corsica. In 1630, it was rebuilt near the Pisan church of the 12th century and the Pope authorized the monks to exercise worship there. In the 18th century, the convent was intimately linked to the island's history, leading to a relaxation of spiritual life. In 1758, the convent housed a consulta presided over by general Paoli. In 1790, the convent was closed, then reopened in 1794 by decision of the general assembly of Corte. In 1796, the monks were expelled and the convent sold as national property. The building, whose structures date from the 17th century, is organized around the Romanesque church. In the 18th century, the ground floor comprises a wine cellar, the refectory, the kitchen, a wool processing room and, on the first floor, fourteen monks' cells. A cloister adorned the whole. The church, covered with a groin vault, ends in an apse in cul de four decorated, like the gable of the chevet, with arcading resting on corbels with modillions or decorated with sculpted heads or animals. A small bell tower with two storeys, pierced with arcades, flanks the church to the south.