The Cloître Saint-Louis
An emblematic place combining charm and tradition
Former Jesuit novitiate of Avignon, this magnificent building in Vaucluse was built at the end of the 16th century.
It was thanks to a donation from Louise d'Ancézune, better known as "The Lady of Saint Chamond," that the novitiate could be constructed in 1589, by calling upon three architects: Etienne Martelange, Jean Péru, and François de Royers de la Valfenière.
When the royal edict banned the Jesuits from France in 1768, the building was transformed into a convent and over the centuries, the Hôtel des Invalides in Paris established a branch there. To this day, the names of the armies of the First Empire and the Revolution can still be read.
In 1852, the cloister passed into other hands following a donation from Louis-Napoleon Bonaparte, becoming the property of the city of Avignon. It was transformed into a civil hospital for 40 years.
Since 1950, the buildings have been listed as historical monuments.