Cloister of the Franciscan monastery

The cloister remained unfinished; the building work was delayed by the Popular Front of 1936 and then by the war. Therefore only a quarter was built: in the project there were only three galleries. This unique aspect is typical of Franciscan cloisters as those following the Rule of St. Francis are not monks and are really looking to the outside world and everyday life. The free wing corresponds to a symbolic opening towards the world. Three bays perpendicular to its axis on the sides complete the only gallery of this cloister. These arcades, formed with pointed arches are composed of stained glass that animate the composition. The use of the cloister is not defined; it is paradoxically a place conducive to meditation and also a venue for groups.

Historical
If the creation of the Franciscan order dates from 1210, the establishment of its religious followers in Paris can be traced from the 14th century. They were originally known as the Franciscans, because they wore a rope with three knots tying their sackcloth. The great Franciscan monasteries were closed during the Revolution, and it was not until 1931 that they invested in the rue Marie-Rose. The architects J. Hulot and P. Gelis built the convent from 1934 to 1936. Their colleague Dombello, author of the Saint Bathilde Priory in Vanves, was their main source of inspiration: the building is entirely made of bricks, for economic and architectural reasons, the decorative aspects are designed using discreet bricks motifs. It is in this way one finds on the walls of the monastery various influences: neo-Gothic, Byzantine, giving the whole composition a rather surprising but very appealing visual aspect! The monastery was also the object of strong criticism, because in the thirties reigned the supremacy of reinforced concrete and Le Corbusier, and the proponents of the revival of the sacred art wanted a building that corresponded to these new technical developments, in sum the rue Marie-Rose style was deemed too archaic.