Step 3

At the northern entrance to the city were two of the three convents of Nozeroy. The oldest is the convent of the Reverend Fathers of the Observance of St. Francis, Cordeliers or Franciscans. It was created in 1461 by Louis de Chalon-Arlay, Prince of Orange, on return from war expeditions in the south of France and as a form of repentance, it is said, for having destroyed religious property there. It included a prior and 6 religious from Dole. The roof was rebuild and lost the large spire described by Gilbert Cousin. We can still see the traces of an oculus (diminished when the roof was lowered) and of a destroyed cross, it is said, during the Revolution. The church was at the back towards the current town hall. The front door was rebuild in 1679, a statue of a franciscan rests on a console that has the peculiarity of a face looking from two sides. These religious were teachers and apothecaries The convent was sold as national property during the Revolution. The exceptional Cordeliers triptych by Jean Poyer can be seen in the church of Censeau a few kilometers away.

Opposite was he Ursuline convent, built in the 17th century by nuns from Poligny to teach young girls of lesser social status. It could also shelter people locked up here under letters of seal! Nuns could lend money in the form of annuities. Destroyed by fire in 1778, the convent has not been rebuilt.