Convent of the Ursulines of Montpellier, Historical convent in Montpellier, France

The Convent of the Ursulines of Montpellier is a 17th-century complex on rue Sainte-Ursule, built from 1647 and designed by architect Jean Bonnassier. Its pale tan stone facade curves along the street, with two banded round towers flanking the central section and narrow barred windows set into the masonry. A broad flight of shallow stone steps rises to the base, where a doorway sits under the sign "Cour des Ursulines".

Nuns of the Order of Saint Catherine founded a monastery here in the 14th century. In 1641 Bishop Pierre Fenouillet brought six Ursulines from Pézenas; they rebuilt the monastery from 1647 to 1657, with architect Jean Bonnassier, to educate poor girls. The convent closed in 1791, became a women's prison from 1825 to 1934, then a military prison; during World War II the Gestapo used it as an interrogation and detention center for resistants. The army left in 1986 and the city acquired the building.

The Ursulines came from Pézenas in 1641 at the request of Bishop Pierre Fenouillet to teach poor girls, and by the 18th century theirs was one of the city's main teaching institutions. The name survives in the surrounding rue Sainte-Ursule. Since 2025 the site has housed Agora, Cité internationale de la danse, uniting the national choreographic centre and the Montpellier Danse festival.

The building sits in central Montpellier with good access by public transport. It now houses a cultural institution dedicated to dance and performances, where you can experience how the historic spaces are used for contemporary arts.

The Gestapo used the convent as an interrogation and detention centre for Resistance members during the Occupation, from 1934 to 1945 a military prison. The round tower visible on the facade belongs to the prison period: a rotunda was added so that every cell could be watched from one point.