Ancien couvent des Ursulines, Former Ursuline convent in Dinan, France

The Ancien couvent des Ursulines is a former convent whose surviving chapel stands on Rue de la Boulangerie, beside the south wing and part of the west wing of the old cloister. The chapel, built in 1638 by master builder Poussin, has rough grey-brown stone walls, a steep gabled roof, a large round-arched multi-pane window and a blue double door in a round-arched doorway.

The convent was founded in 1620 under the direction of the Saint-Malo bishop and housed a religious community until 1792. The expulsion of the nuns during the French Revolution ended its original purpose.

The convent's name recalls the Ursuline nuns who settled here in 1618 and whose first stone was laid in 1620 by the Bishop of Saint-Malo. The chapel, built in 1638 by master builder Poussin, is listed as a monument historique since 1987. The site is now largely occupied by social housing, so the chapel and remaining wings are seen from the street rather than visited inside.

The building sits on Rue de la Boulangerie in central Dinan and typically opens for visitors during Heritage Days and scheduled events. Checking in advance about opening dates and special occasions helps plan your visit properly.

After closure, the building was converted into a sailcloth factory in 1802 and operated as a textile production facility. This transformation reveals how religious properties gained new industrial purposes in the post-Revolutionary era.