Chartreuse de Saint-Hugon

Arvillard

Deep in the valley of the Bens, on the first foothills of the Belledonne massif, the Chartreuse de Saint-Hugon was born in 1173 of a vision: local people are said to have seen, in a clearing, a bishop in robes of light surrounded by twelve Carthusian monks, an apparition identified as Saint Hugh of Châteauneuf, Bishop of Grenoble. The monks settled and built, over six centuries, a monastery that drew its prosperity from its iron forges, renowned as far afield as the Kingdom of Sardinia. The Revolution drove out the Carthusians in 1792; the site became an ironworks, whose castings supplied the edge-tool workshops of the region until 1873. Bought in 1980 by a Buddhist community, the place was reborn as the Karma Ling Institute, today one of the principal centres for the teaching of Tibetan Buddhism in Europe; a major fire in December 2017 made rebuilding necessary, completed in 2018. From the founding vision of the 12th century to contemporary meditation practice, the place has never ceased to be inhabited by a spiritual quest, as if the mountain itself called for contemplation. Visitors who today take the Belledonne paths to reach Saint-Hugon find, among restored old buildings and prayer flags, the rare continuity of a great site devoted for eight centuries to the inner life.

Getting there : Reached by road from Arvillard; grounds and exterior buildings open to visitors, retreats and guided visits offered by the institute

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

Ambient sound