Molsheim Charterhouse
Molsheim Charterhouse is a former monastery of the Carthusian order, or charterhouse, located in the heart of the town of Molsheim, in the Lower Rhine region of Alsace. It now houses the Musée de la Chartreuse.
After the Carthusian monastery of Koenigshoffen was destroyed in 1591, the Carthusian community took refuge with the Jesuits in Molsheim, the Alsatian capital of the Counter-Reformation, where the community decided to re-establish itself and to build a new monastery in 1626. This foundation is a rare, if not unique, case of a Carthusian monastery conceived as being integrated into the urban territory, which implies certain particular arrangements of the space.
This new charterhouse quickly became the city's main religious building in the 17th and 18th centuries. It is particularly renowned for the quality of the stained glass windows that decorated the large cloister of the fathers, as well as for its rich library and especially the famous codex Hortus deliciarum, which was kept there for several decades. The monks were also known for the medicinal "balls" that they made and sold.
The charterhouse was active until the French Revolution, during which time it was closed, sold as national property, divided into several lots, partially destroyed and provided with an urban roadway. For nearly two centuries, the remaining parts of the monastery, divided among several owners, were redeveloped or demolished as need arose. The furniture and stained glass windows were dispersed; some of them were destroyed later, either in 1870 during the siege of Strasbourg or during the Second World War. The local hospital acquired almost all the temporal buildings.
It was not until 1981 that an awareness of the heritage value of the remaining buildings emerged. From that date onwards, the municipality bought parts of the building and volunteers began restoring the buildings and the grounds. In 1985, the historical museum of the city of Molsheim, which had previously been located in the Metzig, moved into the former prior's house, as the Musée de la Chartreuse. In 1986, the Bugatti Foundation also set up an exhibition room in the former monastery kitchens.
The building has been classified as a historical monument since December 23, 1998.
Location
The monastery is located in the north-western part of the historic city centre of Molsheim, between the Rue des Étudiants to the south, the Rue de la Chartreuse to the north, the Place du Marché to the east and the local hospital to the west. The town of Molsheim is itself located in Alsace, on the foothills of the Vosges, at the end of the Bruche Valley and on the left bank of the latter.Background
Establishment
Koenigshoffen Charterhouse
The Carthusian monastery located in Koenigshoffen - today a suburb of Strasbourg - and known as "Mont-Sainte-Marie" was founded in 1335 on the banks of the Bruche by three monks, on land donated by Berthold II of Bucheck, bishop of Strasbourg. The monastery was spiritually fruitful and had 18 cells, and sent monks to support the charterhouses in Hildesheim and Basel. In 1418, the monastery had 16 fathers and 12 brothers; a century later, in 1521, there were still 15 fathers, nine lay people and four brothers. However, the introduction of the Reformation in Strasbourg three years later led to the departure of half of the 28 members of the community.When the Peasants' War broke out in 1525, the charterhouse thought it could avoid being pillaged by placing itself under the protection of the town, which had then turned to Protestantism. In return, the Council of the XV first demanded that the Carthusian patrimony be managed by laymen, then forbade the holding of liturgical services, and finally the entry of novices, which condemned the community in the medium term. The head office of the Grande Chartreuse therefore envisaged the transfer of the community, but nothing was done at first.
In the early 1590s, Henry IV, who had borrowed 42,000 florins from the city of Strasbourg, decided to repay the city by offering it the charterhouse in lieu. On August 8, 1591, when only the prior Jean Schustein, three fathers and a donated brother remained in the premises, the Strasbourg Senate sent 300 masons and carpenters to dismantle the entire monastery, In 1592, it was destroyed "to the acclamation and joy" of the population, who salvaged all the materials to the point that nothing remained of it at the end of August. The library and liturgical ornaments were distributed among other religious houses in Strasbourg, and the monks were forcibly detained until May 1592 in their house known as the "Kartäuserhof" located near Saint-Thomas, with the exception of the prior, who was authorised to take refuge in Mainz Charterhouse.
Transfer to Molsheim
From this last refuge, the former prior, assisted by his provincial superior, tried in vain to rejoin his community. He appealed to the bishops of Cologne, Mainz and Trier, who submitted a petition to Rudolf II. The latter promulgated the edict of March 5, 1594, enjoining the people of Strasbourg to re-establish the monastery and return their property to the monks. While waiting for this return, Jean Schustein was lodged in Molsheim, with the Jesuits, from October 1594. In 1597, he was joined by three Carthusian fathers and two brothers. In 1598, the provincial superior accepted the foundation of a new charterhouse in Molsheim, while the emperor reiterated his injunction to return it to the people of Strasbourg.The community bought the house known as "Böcklerhof" from Barbe de Schauenbourg, widow of a Böcklin von Böcklinsau, for 5,000 florins; at the same time, on August 21, 1598, a treaty was signed between Henri IV and the Carthusian monks, the latter obtaining compensation of 7,500 livres tournois per annum for their losses in Strasbourg. At the same time, the city of Strasbourg finally agreed to make compensation; the prior and the magistrate of Molsheim were welcomed to Strasbourg by the Magistrate, who proposed an exchange to the monks: the land and property confiscated by the Protestant municipality were to be kept by the latter, but title deeds in 47 Catholic localities were to be granted in exchange. In addition, the keys to the room where the books and liturgical ornaments seized in Koenigshoffen were kept were to be given to them.
Foundation of the new charterhouse
The Carthusian community in Molsheim was increased by monks from Koblenz, Cologne, Mainz and Rettel near Thionville. The monks, who numbered six in 1600, received their first professed member the following year, Georges Schoen, from Sélestat. In 1602, Charles of Lorraine, Archbishop of Strasbourg, officially granted the Carthusian monks permission to re-found a monastery. Work therefore began on the Böcklerhof, with the installation of cells and a first oratory, consecrated on 16 April 1606, dedicated to the Trinity, Saint Sebastian, Saint Henry the Confessor and Saint Catherine.Henri Topffer, prior from 1602 to 1612, celebrated the first mass in the conventual church on March 25, 1610; however, the building was not officially dedicated until August 3, 1614, with a dedication to the Trinity, Mary, John the Baptist and all the saints.
Numerous donations enabled the monastery to grow rapidly. The construction of the cloister was started in 1614. In 1619, three more monks arrived from the Carthusian monasteries in Mainz and Trier. In 1620, the first monk of Molsheim made his vows. In the same year, Prior Jean Leuken from Trier was murdered in front of his cell on February 14, 1619, and found by the monks with his skull split by an axe. The murderer then fled the town by climbing the ramparts, but lost some objects. Six days later, the soldiers sent to look for him found a certain Thomas Roettel, a "close relative" of the deceased, in Harthouse, near Haguenau. The latter had come two years earlier to study at the Jesuit college, and regularly attended the charterhouse under the pretext of visiting his uncle, but in reality to steal from the community's funds. He had been caught by the prior during his last theft and had hit him before fleeing. The trial was conducted by the municipality, more precisely by the court of mischief "Malefizgericht", which condemned Thomas to death with many tortures beforehand.
The Carthusian monastery was canonically recognised in statu perfecto in 1662.
Life of the Carthusian monastery
Community growth
Between 1623 and 1626, several additional monks joined the community, which also grew by five novices, including the first inhabitant of Molsheim, Jean-Jacques Fourmann. The Thirty Years' War showed the relevance of the establishment in a Catholic town. The Carthusian monks were not worried by the devastation caused by the fighting and looting. As a security measure, the archives and various precious goods were nevertheless sheltered in Benfeld and then in the Vosges until 1641.| Date | Number |
| 1617 | 17 fathers |
| 1633 | 14 fathers |
| 1666 | 17 fathers and 6 given |
| 1721 | Total of 20, including 14 French |
| 1792 | 17 fathers and 6 brothers |
On May 9, 1623, the cornerstone of the chapter house was laid by master masons Lucas Vieph and Christophe Wambser; two years later, on October 26, 1625, the building was completed and consecrated.
Louis Pergener was prior from 1651 to 1660 and greatly expanded the monastery, acquiring the "Berggasse" and several adjoining plots of land to integrate them into the premises. His successor, Martin Malburg, led the monastery until 1665; he was the first prior to be elected canonically by the monks and not appointed by the province. The charterhouse of Molsheim remained a relatively small community, which was dictated by the small size of the monastery, squeezed into a constrained urban space. The number of 25 monks seems to never have been exceeded.
The recruitment of monks shows the very broad influence of the monastery. Only 31 of the 152 fathers who lived there during its two centuries of existence were Alsatians; the vast majority of the other monks came from the Rhine valley. As for the brothers, who were less numerous, they were slightly more from the region, with 13 Alsatians, mainly from Molsheim itself and the surrounding area, out of 47 brothers. The cells were generally allocated to the Carthusian fathers for life, and this custom was in any case viewed favourably by the community. However, for reasons of health or various grievances, it is possible that cell transfers took place. In Molsheim, Father Nicolas Scheckler moved several times before dying in cell L in 1695. Conversely, Nicolas Baustert did not leave cell H, which he entered in 1661, until he was very ill, shortly before his death in 1692.
In the spring of 1683, the town of Molsheim, including the Charterhouse, was visited by Louis XIV and his wife Maria Theresa. Accompanied by a few princesses from her retinue, she received exceptional permission to enter the church, the cloister and even some of the monastic cells. Since Carthusian customs forbid women from entering a male monastery, these privileged few remained unique in the history of the Molsheim community.