Convent of the Carmelites, Nantes

The Carmelite convent at Nantes was a convent of the Carmelite Order established in 1318 in Nantes, France, then situated within the Duchy of Brittany. The convent was gradually destroyed beginning with the French Revolution.

In the extant urban configuration, the convent was established between Rue des Carmes and Rue du Moulin, at the level of Rue des Trois-Croissants, in an area traversed by Rue des Bons-Français.

In 1318, Thibaut II de Rochefort (circa 1260–after 1327), Viscount of Donges, an officer of the Duke of Brittany in Nantes (and perhaps governor of the city), established a Carmelite convent. He adhered to a prevalent tradition during that era, whereby dominant noble families selected a congregation to house their family tombs, enhancing their prestige. The Rochefort family was subsequently regarded as "one of the oldest houses of Breton aristocracy." Thibaut II requested the assistance of six monks from the Ploërmel establishment, the inaugural Carmelite convent in Brittany, established in 1273 by his former overlord, Duke John II (1239–1305). He sought their collaboration in establishing a convent, which he initially situated in the "Hôtel de Rochefort." This substantial building and its surrounding land were at the intersection of the present-day Rue Saint-Vincent and Rue Fénelon. Thibaut de Rochefort commissioned the construction of an oratory, and the inaugural prior was named Jean de Paris. However, the Cordeliers, who had established themselves not far from there to the northeast, invoked a privilege granted to them by Pope Clement IV. This privilege, as recorded in various sources, permitted the Cordeliers to prevent the establishment of any other religious order within a distance of 140 canes (approximately 210 meters or 310 meters, depending on the sources) of one of their establishments. Subsequently, the Carmelite convent was relocated to the Hôtel de Rougé, located between the current Rue des Carmes and Rue du Moulin, between 1325 and 1327. In addition to the fact that the building had previously been used as a tavern, a public bordello was located on the opposite side of Rue de Verdun, which allowed those opposed to the Carmelites to

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