Crémieu

Augustinians of Crémieu
Church of Saint-Jean-Baptiste

Augustinians

In Crémieu (Isère) there is a convent of the mendicant order of the Augustinians, founded in the 13th century, which remained active until the Revolution. The church is now the parish church of Saint-Jean-Baptiste, while the conventual buildings, arranged around a cloister, have been taken over by the Town Hall.

Augustinians of Crémieu

The convent of the Augustinians of Crémieu was founded from 1315 onwards by John II, Dauphin of Viennois (c. 1280-1319). When the founder died, the conventual settlement had not yet been completed. It was his son and second successor in office, Humbert II, who brought it to completion; he ruled the Dauphiné between 1333 and 1349. He completed a remarkable group of buildings, increasing its capacity to thirty friars. The convent remained active in Crémieu until the Revolution. In 1791, the property passed into public hands and the site is now occupied by the Town Hall, while the former convent church serves as the parish church.

The church is a 14th-century building, built against the town walls, and over the course of its history it has undergone several additions and alterations. In 1508 the bell tower was built, set on one of the towers of the walls. In the 17th century the cloister was rebuilt. Inside the church, a remarkable set of wall paintings from the founding period has been preserved.