The Verne monastery is a historic religious monument located in the heart of the Maures national forest.
Built on the site of an old abandoned priory which already bore the name of Notre Dame de la Verne, the Chartreuse was founded in 1170 on the initiative of Pierre Isnard, bishop of Toulon and Frédol d'Anduse, bishop of Fréjus .
Successive fires in the 1792th, XNUMXth and XNUMXth centuries ravaged it and destroyed all the buildings. It was rebuilt each time. The last reconstruction took a long time and had barely been completed when the Revolution broke out, leading to the sequestration of all property. In XNUMX, after the flight of the last Carthusians, the land, buildings and all the furniture (objects of worship, paintings, library, etc.) were sold as “national property”.
On January 18, 1921, the Chartreuse was classified as a Historic Monument and on March 1, 1961, the Ministry of Agriculture became its owner. Since 1983, the Chartreuse has housed the monastic family of the Bethlehem sisters, the Assumption of the Virgin and St-Bruno.
Access to the building was originally via a monumental serpentine door located to the south; today it is to the left of this door.
THE HISTORY OF THE MONASTERY
At the time of the Carthusians, the dividing line of the dioceses passed in the middle of the church and the cloister, that is to say the North South direction. For some, the Romanesque church would have been built on a pagan temple dedicated to the goddess Laverna, protector of thieves to whom the thick forest of the Moors offered a safe haven, Verna also means slave in Latin. This word was used to designate the descendants of the Saracens of Fraxinet (La Garde Freinet). Finally we also think of the use of vernium which designates Alder. Indeed, alders are common on the banks of the river flowing at the bottom of the valley. The first Romanesque church was consecrated on October 3, 1174. It was destroyed by fire and rebuilt. Thanks to numerous donations or purchases, the Chartreuse de la Verne quickly became the owner of an expanse of land of more than three thousand hectares (forests, pastures, cultivable and saline lands). The Chartreuse was burned down in 1214, 1271 and 1318. The fire destroyed all the buildings except the Romanesque church.
Each time, the building rose from the ashes. In addition, the convent suffered attacks from numerous plunderers, sometimes from local lords, but also from Saracens and in 1577, during the wars of religion. It was undoubtedly following this last invasion that the vault of the Romanesque church collapsed. Others claim that this collapse took place between 1707 and 1715 following attacks by the army of Duke Savoy against the troops of Louis XIV, during the siege of Toulon. In the report of the search at the Chartreuse established by the municipal officers of Collobrières on June 7, 1790, it is specified: "the old church having been destroyed more than 200 years ago, the service is carried out in a large, well-maintained chapel having a very beautiful marble altar and the sanctuary paved with blue and white marble.”
Whether it was a question of reconstruction or continuation of the construction program, the Carthusians were hardly "idle": the dates of 1736 on the access door to the accommodation located to the west of the entrance vault, 1772 to pediment of the vault providing access to the church and the cloister, 1789 on the “East” jamb of the vault (West) providing access to the gardens, bears witness to this.
But in 1790, the Revolution led to the sequestration of all the assets of the Chartreuse, then in 1792, after the departure of the last Carthusians, forced to flee, the sale of the buildings and land as national property. The last prior Dom Raphaël Paris was able to take refuge in Bologna in Italy. Leaving the Chartreuse, the Carthusians were able to reach the beach of Saint Clair near Lavandou and from there by fishing boat reach Nice, where the Bishop of Nice made a wing of his bishopric available to them. The religious history of the Chartreuse de la Verne, placed under the name of the virgin “Our Lady of Clemence”, had lasted a little more than six centuries. A long period would then begin during which nature would invade the place and deeply damage the buildings, sometimes with the help of unscrupulous walkers. By decree of January 18, 1921, the charterhouse was classified as a historic monument as “remains in the forest” with the exception of the agricultural buildings and the main courtyard that they surround. On March 1, 1961, Eaux et Forêts became assignees, on behalf of the estates and installed a guard there.
Nothing seemed to be able to save the Chartreuse from certain disappearance, when in 1968, under the leadership of Ms. Annette Englebert and her friend, Annick Lemoine, an association called “Les amis de la Verne” was born and decided to tackle the renovation of the site. The dynamic team that was then formed, carried out between 1969 and 1982 with its limited means but with a lot of energy and desire, very important work which gradually brought the Chartreuse out of the oblivion of history. It was in 1982 that La Verne regained its initial vocation by welcoming monks and then from 1986, nuns from the monastic family of Bethlehem, the Assumption of the Virgin and Saint Bruno. Much more important work then began to renovate all of the buildings, which would notably see the Romanesque church and the large cloister revived. This work is made possible by the combined action of the monastic family, historical monuments, the department, the commune of Collobrières, the association “Les amis de La Verne” and the numerous visitors who now come to La Verne and some of whom will be real patrons of the Chartreuse.
The monastery is built on a rocky promontory. The construction of these high ramparts was necessary for the establishment of buildings and made it possible to limit intrusions from the outside. The monumental door is made of serpentine stone, volcanic marble from the Maures massif.
In the 17th century the entire monastery was decorated with this stone extracted from a quarry in La Môle, a village near Cogolin.
During the Chestnut Festival, the last 3 Sundays of October, access to the Chartreuse de la Verne is only possible via the D39 (Gonfaron road) or the D14 from Grimaud (it is not possible to cross the village of Collobrières).
From June 21 to September 20, the D214 road leading to Chartreuse is subject to the rules of access to the Var forests to comply with the fire risk prevention plan. Before any visit, we invite you to contact the Collobrières tourist office at 04 94 48 08 00 or consult the website of the Var prefecture http://www.var.gouv.fr.
Successive fires in the 1792th, XNUMXth and XNUMXth centuries ravaged it and destroyed all the buildings. It was rebuilt each time. The last reconstruction took a long time and had barely been completed when the Revolution broke out, leading to the sequestration of all property. In XNUMX, after the flight of the last Carthusians, the land, buildings and all the furniture (objects of worship, paintings, library, etc.) were sold as “national property”.
On January 18, 1921, the Chartreuse was classified as a Historic Monument and on March 1, 1961, the Ministry of Agriculture became its owner. Since 1983, the Chartreuse has housed the monastic family of the Bethlehem sisters, the Assumption of the Virgin and St-Bruno.
Access to the building was originally via a monumental serpentine door located to the south; today it is to the left of this door.
THE HISTORY OF THE MONASTERY
At the time of the Carthusians, the dividing line of the dioceses passed in the middle of the church and the cloister, that is to say the North South direction. For some, the Romanesque church would have been built on a pagan temple dedicated to the goddess Laverna, protector of thieves to whom the thick forest of the Moors offered a safe haven, Verna also means slave in Latin. This word was used to designate the descendants of the Saracens of Fraxinet (La Garde Freinet). Finally we also think of the use of vernium which designates Alder. Indeed, alders are common on the banks of the river flowing at the bottom of the valley. The first Romanesque church was consecrated on October 3, 1174. It was destroyed by fire and rebuilt. Thanks to numerous donations or purchases, the Chartreuse de la Verne quickly became the owner of an expanse of land of more than three thousand hectares (forests, pastures, cultivable and saline lands). The Chartreuse was burned down in 1214, 1271 and 1318. The fire destroyed all the buildings except the Romanesque church.
Each time, the building rose from the ashes. In addition, the convent suffered attacks from numerous plunderers, sometimes from local lords, but also from Saracens and in 1577, during the wars of religion. It was undoubtedly following this last invasion that the vault of the Romanesque church collapsed. Others claim that this collapse took place between 1707 and 1715 following attacks by the army of Duke Savoy against the troops of Louis XIV, during the siege of Toulon. In the report of the search at the Chartreuse established by the municipal officers of Collobrières on June 7, 1790, it is specified: "the old church having been destroyed more than 200 years ago, the service is carried out in a large, well-maintained chapel having a very beautiful marble altar and the sanctuary paved with blue and white marble.”
Whether it was a question of reconstruction or continuation of the construction program, the Carthusians were hardly "idle": the dates of 1736 on the access door to the accommodation located to the west of the entrance vault, 1772 to pediment of the vault providing access to the church and the cloister, 1789 on the “East” jamb of the vault (West) providing access to the gardens, bears witness to this.
But in 1790, the Revolution led to the sequestration of all the assets of the Chartreuse, then in 1792, after the departure of the last Carthusians, forced to flee, the sale of the buildings and land as national property. The last prior Dom Raphaël Paris was able to take refuge in Bologna in Italy. Leaving the Chartreuse, the Carthusians were able to reach the beach of Saint Clair near Lavandou and from there by fishing boat reach Nice, where the Bishop of Nice made a wing of his bishopric available to them. The religious history of the Chartreuse de la Verne, placed under the name of the virgin “Our Lady of Clemence”, had lasted a little more than six centuries. A long period would then begin during which nature would invade the place and deeply damage the buildings, sometimes with the help of unscrupulous walkers. By decree of January 18, 1921, the charterhouse was classified as a historic monument as “remains in the forest” with the exception of the agricultural buildings and the main courtyard that they surround. On March 1, 1961, Eaux et Forêts became assignees, on behalf of the estates and installed a guard there.
Nothing seemed to be able to save the Chartreuse from certain disappearance, when in 1968, under the leadership of Ms. Annette Englebert and her friend, Annick Lemoine, an association called “Les amis de la Verne” was born and decided to tackle the renovation of the site. The dynamic team that was then formed, carried out between 1969 and 1982 with its limited means but with a lot of energy and desire, very important work which gradually brought the Chartreuse out of the oblivion of history. It was in 1982 that La Verne regained its initial vocation by welcoming monks and then from 1986, nuns from the monastic family of Bethlehem, the Assumption of the Virgin and Saint Bruno. Much more important work then began to renovate all of the buildings, which would notably see the Romanesque church and the large cloister revived. This work is made possible by the combined action of the monastic family, historical monuments, the department, the commune of Collobrières, the association “Les amis de La Verne” and the numerous visitors who now come to La Verne and some of whom will be real patrons of the Chartreuse.
The monastery is built on a rocky promontory. The construction of these high ramparts was necessary for the establishment of buildings and made it possible to limit intrusions from the outside. The monumental door is made of serpentine stone, volcanic marble from the Maures massif.
In the 17th century the entire monastery was decorated with this stone extracted from a quarry in La Môle, a village near Cogolin.
During the Chestnut Festival, the last 3 Sundays of October, access to the Chartreuse de la Verne is only possible via the D39 (Gonfaron road) or the D14 from Grimaud (it is not possible to cross the village of Collobrières).
From June 21 to September 20, the D214 road leading to Chartreuse is subject to the rules of access to the Var forests to comply with the fire risk prevention plan. Before any visit, we invite you to contact the Collobrières tourist office at 04 94 48 08 00 or consult the website of the Var prefecture http://www.var.gouv.fr.
Further information) :
EXCEPTIONAL CLOSURES:
Days and Sundays of religious holidays.
Every Tuesday after the All Saints' Day holidays and until March 31.
ACCESS AND PARKING:
The car park is located 800 m from the Monastery.
Chartreuse de la Verne is accessible by the D214 departmental road. This road is paved, narrow and winding.
Access not recommended for vehicles weighing 3.5 tonnes and prohibited for coaches.
VEHICLE and MINIBUS PARKING
Limited number of parking spaces.
For vehicles: no reservation of parking spaces.
For minibuses: possibility of reserving parking at 04 94 43 48 28.
SHOP
The monastic craft store is open during the same hours as the visit and closed every Sunday.
Days and Sundays of religious holidays.
Every Tuesday after the All Saints' Day holidays and until March 31.
ACCESS AND PARKING:
The car park is located 800 m from the Monastery.
Chartreuse de la Verne is accessible by the D214 departmental road. This road is paved, narrow and winding.
Access not recommended for vehicles weighing 3.5 tonnes and prohibited for coaches.
VEHICLE and MINIBUS PARKING
Limited number of parking spaces.
For vehicles: no reservation of parking spaces.
For minibuses: possibility of reserving parking at 04 94 43 48 28.
SHOP
The monastic craft store is open during the same hours as the visit and closed every Sunday.
Themes:
Visit
Language(s) of the visit
French
Opening
Exceptional Closure(s)
- 21/04/2025
- 29/05/2025
- 09/06/2025
- 15/08/2025
- 01/11/2025
- 25/12/2025
Admission fees
Price of visits:
Adult: 7 €
Student: €5
Young people (from 12 to 18 years): €3
Groups (from 10 people): €5
Adult: 7 €
Student: €5
Young people (from 12 to 18 years): €3
Groups (from 10 people): €5
Payment methods
Services
Services
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