La Valsainte Charterhouse

The Charterhouse Valsainte is the only existing Carthusian monastery in Switzerland. It is Cerniat, in the municipality of Val -de- Charmey in the Canton of Fribourg. Currently (2010) living twelve priests and seven lay brothers in Valsainte. The monastery, like all Carthusian not be visited.

History

Founded as the Charterhouse Valsainte 1295 I. Girard and Girard II of Corbières. The Charterhouse received numerous donations of benefactors and came at the end of the 14th century under Savoy rule. As of 1454, the monastery belonged to the county of Greyerz and was awarded it in the division in 1553 Freiburg. 1778 Valsainte was lifted with the approval of the Pope. The goods of the monastery went to the Bishop of Lausanne. The monks settled on at Bull after the repeal in the Carthusian monastery of La Part-Dieu.

From 1791 to 1798 the monastery of Trappist monks inhabited, who had fled from France because of the French Revolution. From 1818 to 1824 lived in Redemptorists Valsainte. Subsequently, the monastery was sold and completely destroyed. 1861 acquired the Carthusians of La Part -Dieu back the monastery and built the Charterhouse again.

The collapse of parts of the monastery wall in 2000 drew attention to the difficult ground conditions that required a thorough renovation. Some of the cells on the south side, which had not been used for years - they were not built until the early 20th century - has been canceled. The underground was rehabilitated and brought the monastery into a structural condition, which ensures the continued existence of the monastery in its current form. The measures were completed in September 2008.