ROYAL MONASTERY OF BROU

The Royal Monastery of Brou is a religious complex located on the southern outskirts of Bourg-en-Bresse, once one of the capitals of the former Duchy of Savoy. A masterpiece of the flamboyant Gothic style, the monastery was built between 1506 and 1512, and its church (Saint-Nicolas-de-Tolentin de Brou) between 1513 and 1532. The monument was the brainchild of a powerful woman who lived at the end of the Middle Ages: Marguerite of Austria, whose destiny was exceptional in many ways. Heir to the Duchy of Burgundy through her mother, she was the granddaughter of Charles the Bold, the last Grand Duke of Burgundy. At the age of just 3, she was promised to the dauphin Charles VIII, son of Louis XI, in a marriage alliance that put an end to 15 years of war. She was eventually repudiated in favor of Anne de Bretagne. The young Marguerite was then promised in second marriage to Jean d'Aragon. He died prematurely a few months later. Widowed at 17, she finally married the Duke of Savoy Philibert II, known as Philibert le Beau, in 1501, in yet another diplomatic negotiation led by her father, who wanted an alliance with the House of Savoy. It was a happy and successful marriage, but a sadly short-lived one: Philibert le Beau died in 1504 following a hunting accident. Widowed for the second time, Marguerite refused to marry again and mourned Philibert II for the rest of her life. Having become the owner of several territories and the head of a large fortune following her successive marriages, Marguerite of Austria now had considerable financial resources at her disposal. It was to honor the memory of her late husband, and to respect the wishes of her mother-in-law, Marguerite de Bourbon, that she decided to build this monastery. She conceived it as a mausoleum, destined to house the tomb of Philibert le Beau, then her own. Construction of the complex began in 1506 on the edge of the French border, just outside Bourg-en-Bresse, then part of the Duchy of Savoy. Marguerite of Austria oversaw the construction from the Netherlands, where she was to assume regency on the death of her brother. The monument is an assertion of her power, and testifies to her desire to strengthen the ties between her Burgundian heritage and the Savoy region she had joined by marriage. For the construction of her royal monastery, she drew inspiration from the Chartreuse de Champmol in Dijon, and multiplied Burgundian emblems and references to the duchy of Burgundy. The most notable illustration of this desire to emphasize its origins is the high gable roof, covered with glazed and colored tiles in the Burgundian style. Replaced in 1759 by sculptor Antoine-Michel Perrache, who gave the roof a mansard-roofed shape, the roof was restored to its original splendor in 1998.

Beyond its architecture, which makes it a jewel of the flamboyant Gothic style, the Brou monastery is remarkable for its richly decorated, well-preserved interior. Its beautifully decorated choir, which seems to be adorned with stone lace, houses the tombs of Philibert II, Marguerite d'Autriche (whose remains were placed here alongside those of her husband in 1532, two years after his death from gangrene) and Marguerite de Bourbon, Philibert II's mother. Their remains lie beneath Carrara marble giants, Philibert II's occupying the place of honor in the middle of the choir. His tomb features two marble recumbents: the first shows him alive, with his eyes open, wearing the insignia of his office (he is dressed in his ermine coat and wears his crown as Duke of Savoy), while the second, on the lower level, shows him with his eyes closed, almost naked, waiting to be resurrected. Marguerite of Austria's tomb is similarly original, with its two recumbent figures beneath a monumental baldachin reminiscent of her imperial origins. The tombs are extraordinarily elaborate, with numerous well-preserved statuettes. In the altarpieces, stained glass windows and ornamental sculptures, there are numerous traces of the couple Philibert II and Marguerite of Austria.

Unique in France, the monastery features three tiered cloisters in different styles. In one of these, Marguerite, who had planned to end her widowhood in the monastery, had her private apartments installed. The three rooms, which she didn't have time to occupy, have been refurbished and now feature an exhibition space dedicated to the different aspects of her life. The monastic buildings of Brou are also home to the municipal museum, with its rich collections of French, Flemish and Italian art from the ^15th to the ^20th century, including Jan de Beer's Holy Family, Bernard van Orley's Portrait of Marguerite of Austria, and Jean Jouvenet's L'Evanouissement d'Esther. Brou also boasts numerous examples of ^19th-century troubadour and landscape painting. Finally, several rooms are dedicated to decorative art, featuring regional furniture and Meillonnas earthenware. The monastery offers a wide range of activities, including tours, workshops and courses to raise awareness of art, archaeology and architecture. The church and three cloisters are listed as historic monuments.