Domaine de Villemartin

English translation

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History

The Discalced Carmelites established themselves in Perpignan in 1213. The construction of their convent, of which the church still subsists, appears to date from the years 1332-1341. The construction of the cloister took place from 1333 to 1342, as testified by the foundation stone. In the 17th century, the convent was transformed into an arsenal. At the beginning of the 19th century, the military engineers destroyed the cloister. Around 1830, the sculptured elements and columns were recovered by Baron Alexandre Guiraud and transported to his estate at Villemartin, near Limoux. These elements were re-erected there according to a plan slightly different from that of their original arrangement: they served in the construction of a cloister forming a rectangle much more elongated than the convent's cloister. Other sculptured elements were incorporated into the construction of a small chapel opening onto the west gallery of the cloister. The sculpture of the capitals forms an exceptional ensemble characteristic of Catalan Gothic art of the middle of the 14th century. It contains no properly sacred representations (vegetal motifs; real or fantastic animal representations; allegorical scenes; hunting scenes).