Couvent des Récollets, Ciboure, Franciscan convent on a peninsula between ports in Ciboure, France
The Couvent des Récollets is a Franciscan convent located on a peninsula between two ports in Ciboure, positioned to overlook both harbors. Its central cloister features eighteen arched arcades, showcasing the craftsmanship of the original 17th-century construction.
The convent was established between 1611 and 1613 by Franciscan monks and served as a mediator in disputes over port rights between two parishes. This diplomatic role made it an important religious and administrative center for the region.
The convent is named Notre-Dame-de-la-Paix, a reference to its founding role in settling the rivalry between the parishes of Ciboure and Saint-Jean-de-Luz over port rights. The bishops of Bayonne stayed in the 1675 "maison des évêques" during pastoral visits. The former chapel now serves as an auditorium and cultural centre.
The convent stands at 1 Place des Récollets, on the peninsula between the ports of Ciboure and Saint-Jean-de-Luz, and is reached on foot from either harbour. The site is still being converted: the chapel became an auditorium and cultural centre, while the west wing is reserved for a centre on architecture and heritage. Check locally before planning a look inside.
Fragments of painted decoration were found in the former library in the west wing, the room whose 1,200 volumes disappeared when the convent was ransacked in 1791. The cloister well-cistern in the courtyard was paid for by Cardinal Mazarin in 1662 and has been protected as a monument since 1925.
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