Chartreuse de Pierre-Châtel

Virignin

On a rocky spur that locks the gorges of the Rhône stands the former charterhouse of Pierre-Châtel. The site was first a fortress of the counts of Savoy: Peter II of Savoy drew up his will and died here, and Louis I of Savoy received it as an appanage in 1285. In 1374, Count Amadeus VI of Savoy, known as the Green Count, ordered a charterhouse to be founded here; he bequeathed the castle outright to the Carthusian order in 1383. Work began in 1384 and the first stone of the church was laid in October 1393. Some fifteen Carthusians settled here, leading a life of silence in a place that was nonetheless of military importance, controlling the road to Piedmont. The Franco-Savoyard wars (1589–1601) ravaged the site, which was taken by the French in 1601 and rebuilt from 1666, before the fortifications were strengthened again in 1760. The monks left in 1791–1792 at the Revolution; the former monastery became a state prison in 1807, then a military fort in 1825, demilitarised in 1933. Privately owned since 1932 and listed as a historic monument in 1996, the site retains its walls, towers and terraces, blending Carthusian austerity with defensive might, still clinging to its rock, inaccessible save by a single narrow passage.

Getting there : From the village of Virignin (Ain), footpath leading to the rocky spur overlooking the Rhône at the outlet of the gorges de la Balme; private property listed as a monument historique (historic monument), occasional visits organised through the Bugey Sud tourist office — enquire before setting out

Opening times and access details are given as a guide only: check before you set out.

Ambient sound