Intense religious life :
The XIIth century was characterized by the development of the mendicant orders, which lived a life of poverty and study. They were particularly present in Provence. They fought against heresy and took part in the evangelization of the local population. When Provence became the centre of the Christian world, the presence of the Pope considerably stimulated religious life.
The Cordeliers in Valréas :
The Franciscans, who were called "Cordeliers" because they wore a cord around their sackcloth or black frock, settled in Valréas in the middle of the XIIIth century, where they stayed until the Revolution. It was not until 1391 that, due to plunderers, they decided to build their convent within the city walls, on this very spot, with a cloister, church and cemetery. The church and cloister were severely damaged during the Revolution.
The Cordeliers lived on alms and received donations, thus becoming quite well-off as a community from the XVth century onwards. In the XVIIIth century, the brothers were very learned men, most of them working as teachers. It was prestigious to have a tomb in the cemetery of the Cordeliers Convent, where the relics of Saint Martin des Ormeaux, a bishop sanctified around 900, were kept. The community of the Cordeliers never had more than 8 to 10 brothers. At the end of the XVIIIth century, the last monk was forced to flee by the troops of the Ligue (Catholic religious and political movement).
La Tour des Cordeliers (Cordeliers Tower) :
This tower, decorated with four sundials facing the four cardinal points, was one of the first buildings to be built in the Italian Renaissance style in France. The nave of the church, which is typical of Mediterranean medieval architecture, is a remarkable example of stone diaphragm arches, which are generally used to bear an overhanging roof with steep sides.
The convent of the Cordeliers has the only cloister in the region (the nearest cloisters are located in Vaison-laRomaine and Carpentras) and is a listed historic building.
Saint Martin des Ormeaux, origin of the Petit St Jean Procession :
St Martin des Ormeaux, charitable bishop of St-Paul-Trois-Châteaux, died from leprosy in the VIIth century. The Cordeliers put his relies into the altar of their convent and displayed them for the devotion of ail the inhabitants of Valréas during a procession that was held every year on 23 June. Fearing that the relics might be stolen, Valréas stopped using them in the procession in 1504 and replaced them by a child representing Saint John the Baptist (Jean Baptiste). This was the beginning of the extraordinary procession of the Petit Jean, which passes through the streets of the town every year. The Petit Jean is chosen every year from among the young boys of Valréas as the protector of the town.
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