Bonpas

Bonpas is a French wine brand whose identity is inseparable from the Chartreuse de Bonpas, a fortified Carthusian monastery built by the Hospitallers of Saint John of Jerusalem in the 12th century, overlooking the Durance river near Avignon in the Vaucluse department. The name derives from the Latin 'bonus passus' — the 'good passage' — a reference to the river crossing at the foot of the monastery that the monks maintained and improved for travellers. The estate's winemaking heritage is anchored in 1318, when Pope John XXII, then based in Avignon, transferred Notre-Dame de Bonpas to the Carthusian monks, whose motto 'Stat Crux dum volvitur orbis' ('the Cross stands while the world turns') inspired the enduring Bonpas motto: 'Le vin demeure pendant que tourne le monde' — 'wine remains while the world turns'. Today Bonpas operates as a wine producer and négociant brand in the southern Rhône Valley, offering a collection that spans the region's appellations. The official website presents several ranges, including the Bonpas signature collection, a 'Vieilles Vignes' (old vines) collection, and a series of '12 chapitres' (12 chapters) that reference the estate's monastic history. The brand markets itself around the themes of 700 years of history, the southern Rhône terroir, and the legacy of the Carthusian monks who first cultivated vines and olives on the site. The historic Chartreuse de Bonpas itself is a listed monument historique in the commune of Caumont-sur-Durance, at the boundary of Avignon, between the TGV line, the Avignon-sud exit of the A7 motorway, the RN7 and the D900 road that separates it from the banks of the Durance. The property is accessed from the D900. Its strategic position — a rock on the right bank of the Durance commanding a crossing and a road toward Ernaginum on the left bank of the Rhône — explains its long history as a controlled passage, from Roman times through the medieval disputes between the counts of Toulouse and Provence. The brand's modern commercial identity combines this deep historical narrative with contemporary Rhône Valley winemaking, positioning Bonpas as a heritage-driven producer of Côtes du Rhône and related southern Rhône wines. The official site invites visitors to discover 'l'univers Bonpas', its history, its terroir 'plein sud' (full south), and its collections, framing the wines as the continuation of a monastic tradition of hospitality and cultivation.

The history of Bonpas begins long before the wine brand, at a strategic crossing of the Durance river near Avignon. The site was known in antiquity as an oppidum, and around the year 800 a chapel and a hospital were built there. According to the official history, the chapel Notre-Dame de Bonpas — today a monument historique — was erected between 739 and 805. The first texts mentioning the church of Sainte-Marie de Bonpas date from Charlemagne (805), and it is possible that its construction was due to Charles Martel (around 739) to thank the people of Avignon for their bravery against the Saracens. The Wikipedia account notes that the chapel was built above the tombs of combatants killed in the 731 Saracen capture of Avignon and the Comtat Venaissin, which Charles Martel and his brother Childebrand retook in 737; three rock-cut tombs and an ossuary were discovered beneath the crypt. The toponymy of the place reflects its difficult history. Until the Middle Ages the crossing was so difficult that the place was called 'malus passus' (bad passage, Maupas). With the presence of the monastery, the monks worked to improve the crossing of the Durance for economic and practical reasons, and the name became 'bonus passus' (good passage, Bonpas) around 1200. In 1166 the bishop of Avignon made a manuscript donation to the religious of Bonpas, and a new chapel was built on the foundations of the 9th-century one. The 12th century also saw the appearance of fortifications. In 1189 Pope Clement III addressed a bull to Raymond, prior of Bonpas, and the religious, praising them for the construction of a bridge and confirming the priory's goods and privileges; a further bull of Pope Celestin III in 1197 confirmed the previous one for the construction of a bridge. These bulls suggest the bridge was not yet built at those dates; a document of 1241 refers to a pontoon bridge, and the religious complained that Nicolas, bailli of Noves, had removed all the boats with their rigging. The passage attracted covetousness. Raymond VII of Toulouse, count of Toulouse and marquis of Provence, seized it in 1241 and fortified the place to prevent the count of Provence from crossing the Durance. The religious had to leave and establish a ferry, perhaps a cable ferry, toward Noves, which provided important revenues. In 1267 the prior of the Hospitaller order of Bonpas (canons of Saint Augustine) took the title of Maison du pont de Bonpas; the term 'hospitalier' came from their duty to maintain a hospital or hostelry to welcome pilgrims. In August 1267 the bishop of Avignon Bertrand II settled with the prior over the rights of the port of Rognonac, recognising the religious' immemorial right to have a boat on the Durance. In 1270 Alphonse de Poitiers, brother of Saint Louis, granted the Hospitaller brothers of the pont de Bonpas confirmation of all their rights, jurisdictions, fiefs and banalities in the Comtat Venaissin and his county of Toulouse, in an act titled 'Privilegiam hospitaleriis Boni Passus'. In 1278 the Pope attached them to the Hospitallers of Saint John of Jerusalem, who thenceforth watched over the 'good passage' and the welcome of travellers. The decisive turning point for the wine brand came in 1318, when Pope John XXII, based in Avignon, transferred Notre-Dame de Bonpas to the Carthusian monks. Their motto, 'Stat Crux dum volvitur orbis' ('the Cross stands while the world turns'), gave rise to the Bonpas motto that endures to this day: 'Le vin demeure pendant que tourne le monde' ('wine remains while the world turns'). From 1709 to 1792 the estate experienced economic and cultural flourishing, with activities linked to vines, wine and olive cultivation at the heart of its influence. The Carthusian monastery itself is a listed monument historique dating from the 12th century, located in the commune of Caumont-sur-Durance in Vaucluse, on the banks of the Durance, at the boundary of Avignon territory, between the TGV line, the Avignon-sud exit of the A7 motorway, the RN7 and the D900 road that separates it from the Durance. In its modern commercial form, Bonpas presents itself as the continuation of this monastic tradition, marketing Rhône Valley wines under collections that reference the estate's history — the Bonpas signature collection, the Vieilles Vignes collection, and the '12 chapitres' — and inviting consumers to discover '700 years of history' and the southern Rhône terroir.

• 1709

  Start of a period of economic and cultural flourishing (to 1792) centred on vines, wine and olive cultivation.

• Possible construction of the chapel Sainte-Marie de Maupas by Charles Martel to thank the people of Avignon for their bravery against the Saracens.

• First texts mentioning the church of Sainte-Marie de Bonpas date from Charlemagne.

• The bishop of Avignon makes a manuscript donation to the religious of Bonpas; a new chapel is built on the foundations of the 9th-century one.

• Pope Clement III addresses a bull to Raymond, prior of Bonpas, praising the construction of a bridge and confirming the priory's goods and privileges.

• A bull of Pope Celestin III confirms the previous one for the construction of a bridge.

• The place name changes from Malus Passus (Maupas) to Bonus Passus (Bonpas).

• Raymond VII of Toulouse seizes the passage and fortifies the place; a document refers to a pontoon bridge.

• The prior of the Hospitaller order of Bonpas takes the title of Maison du pont de Bonpas; the bishop of Avignon settles rights over the port of Rognonac.

• Alphonse de Poitiers grants the Hospitaller brothers of the pont de Bonpas confirmation of all their rights in the Comtat Venaissin and his county of Toulouse.

• The Pope attaches the house to the Hospitallers of Saint John of Jerusalem, who watch over the 'good passage' and the welcome of travellers.

• Pope John XXII transfers Notre-Dame de Bonpas to the Carthusian monks, whose motto inspires the enduring Bonpas motto 'Le vin demeure pendant que tourne le monde'.

Heritage-driven southern Rhône Valley wine brand built on 700 years of monastic winemaking history.

• La Collection Bonpas

  The core Bonpas collection of Rhône Valley wines.

• La Signature Bonpas

  A signature range expressing the Bonpas style.

• Collection Vieilles Vignes

  Wines made from old vines.

• Les 12 Chapitres

  A range referencing the estate's monastic history.

1. 1Bonpas — official websitebonpas.fr
2. 2L'Histoire de Bonpas > Bonpasbonpas.fr
3. 3chartreuse de Bonpas — Wikidatawikidata.org
4. 4Chartreuse de Bonpas — Wikipédiafr.wikipedia.org