Fire at the Mont-Dieu monastery in northeastern France on Sunday, November 2, 2025. Credit: Handout / AFP / Profimedia
A fire engulfed the ancient monastery of Mont-Dieu, France, on Sunday, destroying the main building of the secular French heritage site, the mayor and firefighters told AFP.
Anne Fraipont, mayor of the nearby village of Tannay-le-Mont-Dieu, lamented the plight of the convent, which she called “Notre-Dame of the Ardennes” and which was granted historic monument status in 1946.
“There was a lot of wood in this building,” Fraipont said. “There is no more roof, no more floor, only the walls remain,” added the mayor.
The alarm was given by passers-by who noticed the smoke, the mayor said. The cause of the fire is currently unknown.
The fire brigade that intervened says the damage is so great that the monastery is “in danger of collapsing”.
😢 Quelle tristesse…
Apprendre que la Chartreuse du Mont-Dieu vient d'être détruite par un incendie me bouleverse profoundly.
Ce lieu unique, chargé d'histoire et de spirituality, faisait partie de ces trésors discret qui racontent si bien l'âme des Ardennes.Fondée have… pic.twitter.com/7DwAUVodYa
— Patrick Fostier (@patrick_fostier) November 2, 2025
There was no artwork in the monastery at the time of the fire, the fire service said.
Located in the dense forests of northeastern France, the Carthusian monastery of Mont-Dieu was originally built in 1130. The place of worship was rebuilt in the 17th century.
Notre-Dame Cathedral in Paris reopened in December 2024, five and a half years after the devastating fire that destroyed its roof and spire. Its iconic towers were only reopened in September 2025. In its case, the foundation stone was laid in 1163, and construction continued throughout the next century, with major restorations and additions made in the 17th and 18th centuries.
