Grande Chartreuse

• Illustration — The monks being forced out of the monastery in April 1903 Originally, the château belonged to the See of Grenoble. In 1084, Saint Hugh gave it to hermit Saint Bruno and his followers who founded the Carthusian Order. The recipe of the alcoholic beverage Chartreuse is said to have been given to the monks of Grande Chartreuse in 1605 by the French Marshal François Annibal d'Estrées. For over a century, the monks worked on perfecting the 130-ingredient recipe. In 1764, the monks expanded their distillery for the first time to meet the demand of their popular Elixir Végétal de la Grande Chartreuse. The distillery has then been moved several times in more remote areas because it represents a major explosion hazard for the surrounding habitations. The château went through many severe casualties, reconstructions and renovations. The current building was erected in 1688. In 1790, following the French Revolution, the monks were expelled from the monastery, and waited until 1838 to be reauthorized on the premises. The massive collection of 400 manuscripts and 3,500 printed documents (including 300 incunabula) taken from the Grande Chartreuse during the French Revolution is curated and protected in the bibliothèque d’étude et du patrimoine of Grenoble, and an online scanned version of the documents is available on the digital platform of the library, Pagella, for researchers and interested people alike. Following the establishment of the Association Law of 1901 and its interpretation that effectively banned religious associations en masse, many notable religious institutions across France, including the Grande Chartreuse, were closed by the French government. While some monks found refuge in Italy until 1929, others settled in the Catalan city of Tarragona and relaunched the monastery's famous liqueur-producing activity. The Grande Chartreuse was sold in 1927 to a group of local entrepreneurs who invited the monks back to their monastery. In 1940, the Grande Chartreuse was reopened under the Petain regime. At the end of World War II, the Grande Chartreuse was used as a hospital by the Allied Forces.

The following prior are listed in the Dictionnaire d'Histoire et de Géographie Ecclésiastique: • 1084–1090: Bruno I • 1090–1100: Landuin • 1100–1101: Peter I • 1101–1109: John I • 1109–1136: Guigo I • 1136–1139: Hugh I • 1139–1151: Anthelm of Belley • 1151–1174: Basil • 1174–1180: Guigo II • 1180–1233: Jancelin • 1233–1236: Martin • 1236–1242: Peter II • 1242–1247: Hugh II (first time) • 1247–1249: Bernard I de La Tour (first time) • 1249–1253: Hugh II (second time) • 1253–1257: Bernard I de La Tour (second time) • 1257–1267: Riffier • 1267–1272: Gerard • 1272–1276: Guillaume I Fabri • 1276–1277: Pierre III de Montignac • 1277–1313: Boson • 1313–1329: Aymon of Aosta • 1329–1330: Jacques de Vevey (first time) • 1330–1338: Clair de Fontenay (first time) • 1338–1341: Jacques de Vevey (second time) • 1341–1341: Clair de Fontenay (second time) • 1341–1346: Henri Pollet • 1346–1361: Jean Birelle • 1361–1367: Elzéar de Grimoard • 1367–1402: Guillaume Raynaldi • 1402–1410: Bonifaci Ferrer • 1410–1420: Jean de Griffenberg • 1420–1437: Guillaume de La Motte • 1437–1463: François Maresmes • 1463–1472: Jean Zeewen de Roosendael • 1472–1481: Antoine Dellieux • 1481–1494: Antoine II du Charne • 1494–1503: Pierre IV Roux • 1503–1521: François II du Puy • 1521–1535: Guillaume IV Biebuick • 1535–1540: Jean V Guilhard • 1540–1546: Pierre V Marnef • 1546–1553: Jean VI Volon • 1553–1554: Damien Longoni • 1554–1566: Pierre Sarde • 1566–1586: Bernard Carasse • 1586–1588: Jérôme Lignano • 1588–1594: Jérôme Marchant • 1594–1600: Jean–Michel de Vesly • 1600–1631: Bruno d'Affringues • 1631–1643: Juste Perrot • 1643–1649: Léon Tixier • 1649–1675: Jean Pégon • 1675–1703: Innocent Le Masson • 1703–1731: Antoine Tocquet de Montgeffond • 1731–1732: Ambroise Crollet • 1732–1737: Étienne I Richard • 1737–1758: Michel I Brunier de Larnage • 1758–1778: Étienne Biclet • 1778–1791: Hilarion Robinet • 1791–1801: Nicolas–Albergati de Geoffroy • 1801–1813: Antoine IV Vallet • 1813–1816: Romuald Moissonnier • 1816–1816: Bonaventure Eymin • 1816–1824: Grégoire Sorel • 1824–1831: Benoît Nizzati • 1831–1863: Jean–Baptiste Mortaize • 1863–1877: Charles–Marie Saisson • 1877–1879: Roch Boussinet • 1879–1892: Anselme Bruniaux • 1892–1905: Michel II Baglin • 1905–1911: René Herbault • 1911–1938: Jacques–Marie Mayaud • 1938–1967: Ferdinand Vidal • 1967–1997: André Poisson • 1997–2012: Marcellin Theeuwes • 2012–2014: François–Marie Velut • 2014–présent: Dysmas de Lassus