Couvent des Bernardines, convent located in Bouches-du-Rhône, in France
The Couvent des Bernardines is a convent building in the 1st arrondissement of Marseille, originally constructed to house a community of religious women. The complex includes a chapel with stone columns beneath a small dome, along with administrative and residential spaces that display architectural elements from different periods.
The convent was built in the 1750s by architects Baltasar Dreveton and Pierre-Paul Bruand and housed the Bernardine nuns who arrived in Marseille in 1639. Following the French Revolution, the site was seized by the state and subsequently converted into a school building for the Lycée Thiers, which was established in 1802.
The convent was home to a community of Bernardine nuns for more than a century before its transformation. The chapel inside retains its simple decorative approach and historical character, preserving traces of the religious life that once filled these spaces.
The building stands near the old port on a busy street, making it easily accessible on foot from the city center. Access to the interior may be limited since it functions as a cultural venue; check in advance whether visits or performances are available to the public.
Since 1987 the convent has operated as a theater dedicated to experimental and new works, providing space for artists such as Romeo Castellucci. This surprising transformation of a religious site into a center for contemporary artistic creation deserves attention.
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