Discover the history of the Chartreux, a religious order founded in 1084 by Saint Bruno. A community of Carthusian monks isolated from the world whose life is dedicated to God.
Birth of the Carthusian order
The Carthusian Order was founded in 1084 by Saint Bruno , with the establishment of the first monastery in the Chartreuse Mountains, northeast of Grenoble, in the Dauphiné region. A scholar from Reims, he withdrew with six companions—four clerics and two laymen—to establish the first community of hermit monks : the Grande Chartreuse . Having laid the foundations of the Carthusian order, Saint Bruno was summoned to Rome by Pope Urban II in 1090. Wishing to return to his life of solitude and asceticism, he went to Calabria to found a second hermitage, without any institutional connection to the one in Isère, where he died on October 6, 1101.
Development and apogee of order
It was only in 1127, during the priorate of Guigues I, that the Customs practiced by the monks of the Grande Chartreuse were written down, at the request of neighboring communities wishing to live according to the same model. By 1140, the order had truly established itself alongside the great monastic institutions of the Middle Ages, such as the Benedictines and the Cistercians. Around the same time, nuns sought to embrace the Carthusian rule, and the female branch developed quite rapidly. Held every two years, the general chapters ensured that the statutes were slightly modified over the centuries. They were last revised in the 1970s and 1980s, following the Second Vatican Council.
At its height during the 16th century, the order had over 150 houses worldwide . However, the Wars of Religion and the French Revolution weakened the order, forcing it to close more than half of its buildings. This was because it was perceived as a wealthy order, deriving its considerable resources from the income generated by agricultural estates, metallurgy, and forestry. Since the late 19th century, the order has been severely impacted by the violent socio-cultural upheavals of the modern world. Indeed, after the onslaught of anticlericalism and the First World War, many communities never recovered.
The Carthusian order today
Since 2000, two Charterhouses have closed but two new ones have opened in South Korea, where demand is extremely strong. Today, 23 houses are still operating on 3 continents, Europe, Asia and America, 6 of which are located in France, Isère, Ain, Var, Alpes-de-Haute -Provence and Aveyron. Although it is difficult to say with certainty, this corresponds to just over 300 people worldwide. Even today, it remains difficult to have an objective look at this form of monastic life which is one of the most foreign to current customs and mentalities, including within Catholicism itself.
