This old monastery in the Rhone Alps is now a village after it was sold of in parts after the French revolution.

Sainte-Croix-en-Jarez

 

Sainte-Croix-en-Jarez, located in the Loire department of the Rhone Alps is an unusual village in that the whole village is actually an old Carthusian monastery. The monastery was founded in 1280 and prospered for 500 years until the French revolution when it was confiscated and sold off by auction in 44 lots.

The above picture is copyright and courtesy of Les Plus Beaux Villages de France organisation.