Founded in 1082 to establish St-Pierre-de-Chartreuse north of Grenoble, the Carthusian Order is a religious order that has existed for almost a millennium. He took part in iron manufacturing, reaching its peak in the 18th century, offering iron renowned for its quality.
The more in-depth study of the impact of the Carthusians in metallurgical advancement and history becomes a fascinating subject to dissect!
It is therefore natural that we chose this subject in part to prepare an exposure this year.
View of the Grande Chartreuse monastery, within the massif of the same name. It is the original monastery of the Order. Photo credit : RCF radio
So who is this Order?
It all started during a weekend spent in Chartreuse last year where we discovered this universe, and hiked around the enormous building lost in the middle of the mountain.
We already knew that this order had something to do with the region's metallurgical past, but we had not yet taken the time to look into the subject.
Renowned today for the manufacture of its secret elixir of more than 130 plants, “Chartreuse”, this Order is not just about this secret recipe. It is a religious community that has spanned the centuries, remaining anchored in its precepts: devoting one's life to prayer while taking a vow of silence.
To survive, they led a small local circular economy, not seeking profit but solely to provide for the needs of the monks of the abbey.
To this day, the writings that I have read from different periods and which evoke the Carthusian Order cite it as renowned for its benevolence and impartiality. It participated in the local economy, and never hesitated to open its doors during times of famine or war.
Here is a small excerpt from the preface of the “Cartreux, masters of the forge”: “More important than men was order and the spirit of order: a spirit of union and economy a spirit of poverty of detachment of disinterestedness a spirit of rigorous discipline and mutual trust. »
Established in 1084 by Bruno and Saint Hugues, bishop of Grenoble, its particularity is to establish an anchorite life (hermit life) with a cenobitic life (community life).
Bruno with 6 companions will head towards the “Desert” of Chartreuse to settle there. According to the story, they will follow the 7 stars mentioned in a dream of Hugues which showed him the place for a dwelling in solitude dedicated to the glory of God.
We find these 7 stars on the symbol of the Order: a cross surmounted by 7 stars on a globe with the words in Latin: “The World passes, the cross remains”
And its connection to iron?
To meet their needs, they had set up an economy around the manufacture of iron using local natural resources. The presence of iron veins, trees for the manufacture of coal, and water for hydraulic energy provide favorable terrain. A writer from the beginning of the 20th century (Auguste Bouchayer who was inspired by the precious notes of an author on the metallurgy of the Alps: Mr. Ernest Chabrand) went so far as to mention that they were the probable investigators of the beginnings of the iron manufacturing in our region. Thus they were cited as “The Carthusians, masters of the forge”. In recent years, other discoveries in the field have called this thesis into question. What is it really ?
Numerous metallurgical remains have been found around different Chartreuses: blast furnaces, roasting ovens, piles of slag (waste from iron manufacturing), old coal pits, mines, etc.
If you want to immerse yourself for a few minutes in the bowels of the earth, where the Carthusians extracted iron ore, you can see David's little underground escapade. A man who seems passionate about his discoveries and the history of places and local heritage. Claustrophobics take note: thrills guaranteed...
photo credit "DDD Explorations", don't hesitate to see his other excursions!
And the Trièves in all this?
Map of Durbon Abbey, and its ruins photographed at the beginning of the last century.
One thing led to another, and we also discovered that the Durbon Abbey founded in Saint-Julien-en-Beauchêne was surrounded by a metallurgical economy linked to Trièves, the territory where we live. The abbey was supplied with iron ore from the mines of Mens.
Moreover, the Trièves Museum in Mens also put together a beautiful exhibition around iron in Trièves a few years ago.
There were also blast furnaces in Chihilianne, Saint-Michel-les-Portes and Saint-Guillaume.
The Chichilianne furnace tickles our curiosity: we search in vain for its former location in the village but have not yet found any conclusive leads. But we haven't said our last word!
Here is therefore a brief summary of the starting point of our research on the metallurgical past in Isère and Trièves in connection with the Carthusian Order.
A subject we can't wait to tell you the story of in more detail soon!...
I couldn't finish this article without mentioning the origin of the word "Chartreuse" to cite the breed of cats with the famous gray coat that is even said to be blue and its golden eyes.
Is there a link with the order?
It is one of the oldest “natural breeds” believed to have arrived by ship during the Crusades from Turkey and Iran.
One theory indicates that they got this name because they were found in chartreuse trees, hunting rats during the ravages of the bubonic plague. We also cite a connection between the silent character of this feline (he meows very little) and the Order's vow of silence.
Others argue that the woolly appearance of this blue cat's coat would have been compared to quality wool from Spain. This is the Pile des Chartreux.
What we know is that the first use of the term “Chartreuse” appears in 1723, in the Universal Dictionary of Commerce, Natural History and Arts and Crafts by Jacques Savary des Bruslons. As for the explanation, it ultimately remains rather a mystery!
