Former Fontmaure Hospital

The Sœurs de Saint-Joseph (nuns) have been in Clermont since 1723 when the bishop put them in charge of the Le Bon Pasteur home for young women who did not adhere to the morals of the time. Hounded out during the Revolution, the nuns returned to Clermont after the Concordat(…)

The Sœurs de Saint-Joseph (nuns) have been in Clermont since 1723 when the bishop put them in charge of the Le Bon Pasteur home for young women who did not adhere to the morals of the time. Hounded out during the Revolution, the nuns returned to Clermont after the Concordat of 1801 and moved into the former Ursulines convent in what is now Rue du Bon Pasteur, and this became their central location. The nuns had a role as teachers and founded many schools in the villages of Auvergne. They welcomed girls of all social classes, as well as those with hearing and speech disabilities. In 1872, following a typhoid epidemic, they purchased the Fontmaure property in Chamalières, which was then in the countryside, to move their young pupils away from the town.

The institution was built in 1880-1881 by architect Charles-Antoine Couteau (1824-1897). Reconverted into a hospital in the early 20th century, the eclectically-designed building drew inspiration from Gothic and Roman styles. The neo-Roman style chapel retained its statues and stained-glass windows by Félix Gaudin and Lucien Chatain. Some of the buildings have now been converted to apartments. The other part houses the FAC – Fontmaure Art Culture Chamalières Charreton – which includes the École Municipale de Gravure, the Chapel (conference and recital space), the Artothèque and the Victor Charreton (1864-1936) museum space, devoted to artworks by the French painter, donated by the municipality of Chamalières. The building has been on the historic monuments registry since 2011.