«Eau de couvent» is not only a perfume brand that creates beautiful and fine fragrances, but also a huge project that unites different forms of art in order to restore the long-abandoned Convent of Saint François in Corsica.

«Eau de couvent» came to life when Candida Romero, the founder of the brand and professional painter, discovered the convent.

The beauty of this place and its nature has inspired Candida to create her first eau de toilette and then the line of fragrances which will capture her impressions and will immortalize the natural magic of the convent.

But the most important thing is that this project helps the convent to continue its life and story.

The Convent of Saint François

There is a mention of the Convent of Saint François (Couvent San Francescu) as early as the 13th century. This place was one of the most important Franciscan convents on the island of Corsica and was redeveloped during the Genoese period in the 17th and 18th centuries. 

The history of the island of Corsica, the jewel of the Mediterranean, has been developing under the influence of successive invasions: Arab Countries, France, Italy, and Spain.

The influence of different cultures was embodied in the architecture of Corsica. Many civilian and religious buildings are a testimonial to the island’s history.

The Convent of Saint François in Corsica

The Convent of Saint François is marked by the island’s Italian affiliation, which brought with it the settlement of two important religious families. This has resulted in an appearance of early second-millennium Romanesque churches and opulent Baroque churches of the 17th and 18th centuries.

During that period, new contractions replaced the original building of convent that, according to the chronicles of the Franciscan Order, was founded before 1260.

Today, the Convent of Saint François is a private property, where the beauty of the past meets the modern conveniences and where the art is born. 

Candida Romero 

Сandida Romero is a Puerto Rican – French artist that was born in Paris in 1966. She was raised in La Ruche, a Parisian artist community housed in a structure built by Gustave Eiffel, where she continues to work in Chagall’s original studio.

Her father, Johnny Romero, was the jazz impresario and poet, while her mother, Simone Dat, was a painter.

Surrounded by the bohemia,  Candida delved into art and performance early on – establishing a following as a singer and actor in several motion pictures in her teenage years.

For several years she pursued a career in modeling and was a muse for such famous couturiers as Azzedine Alaia and Kenzo.

Candida Romero, the founder of Eau de Couvent

Despite the success in modeling, Candida wanted to make art and she moved to Munich to study classical voice, opera, and art at the Musik Hochschule. After one year living in Berlin and discovering different forms of artists engagement, Candida decided to move back to Paris and to focus solely on painting.

She has had solo exhibits on her work, notably for a series called Little Girl and a long-term project on the writings of Marcel Proust.

Candida’s most recent art project has an idea to represent historical narratives or texts combining photography, collage, and painting. This work is based on the 17th-century essays, know as the Portuguese Letters by Guilaraques.

Candida has created paintings depicting herself in the role of Guilaraques’s lost-loved nun by using photographs by Paolo Roversi as the background to the narrative depictions which she painted over.

But one of the most important Candida’s projects was and continues to be the restoration of the marvelous Convent of Saint François in Corsica, in which she puts her heart and soul.

Click here to read here my perfume review of four Eau de Couvent fragrances

The Art Residence

The island of Corsica and the Convent of Saint François impressed Candida Romero and she decided to revive this place and then open it to others. She and her mother Simone dreamed to create their own ateliers far from the metropolises in order to look at the world from a different angle. 

Candida also wanted to host residencies for painters, actors, musicians, dancers, and filmmakers and to create a space, where all these artists can feel themselves free and can find inspiration to make their art.  And she has succeeded. 

Candida Romero with her artwork at the Convent of Saint François

Together with the museum architecture Tim Culbert, Candida has turned long-abandoned convent into an art residency in order to provide a platform for artists to express themselves outside of a traditional gallery or museum context.

This art project at the Convent of Saint François in Corsica is non-profit and is one of only a few non-profit projects of its kind in France.

It is also planned to expand it to allow for year-round artists residencies and curated exhibits using the Convent’s Church structure during the summer season when the Island is a major destination for visitors. 

Last summer Candida Romero and Tim Culbert launched their first 3 residencies, all with their own funds, with three noted photographers and their teams: Harley Weir from London, Tom Peckmezian living in Berlin, Jack Davison, Tim Elkaim and Kelly Jeffrey from New York for a week each at the Convent.

Here you can see the film that was created by Mark Peckmezian at the Convent for the Double Magazine website:

The Convent of Saint François also offers its space for different kind of events: celebrations, conferences, seminars, film and fashion shoots, exhibitions, concert, etc. 

Eau de couvent

Inspired by the island of Corsica, the Convent and its history, Candida Romero decided to launch her own eau de toilette under the brand of «eaudecouvent» to help fund the restoration of the site.

Thanks to the high quality and the beauty of Eau de Couvent, this fragrance immediately became a successful project. This refreshing eau de toilette contains essential oils from the Bitter orange tree renowned for its curative properties since time immemorial. 

Eau de Couvent fragrance was featured in many national and international media including Grazia, Elle, Glamour, Maria-Claire, US Vogue, etc. This eau de toilette has had no problems being stocked in pharmacies, health & beauty shops and perfume shops in Corsica and the mainland.

This and other fragrances by “Eau de Couvent” can be easily found in the best concept and perfume stores around the world including Collette, Corso Como, Le Drugstore and in many other places.

Eau de Couvent fragrances, photographed by Emilie Albert

Currently, «Eau de Couvent» produces fragrances, cosmetics, and candles which can be found on their official website and in stores. This brand has already had 4 wonderful fragrances in its line. And now their new creature Rosa La Rose fragrance is available in NYC at 10CorsoComo.

Read here my perfume review of Rosa La Rose, a new fragrance by Eau de Couvent 

The official launching of this beautiful fragrance in Paris will take place on Valentine’s Day 2019 in the flagship store of Eau de Couvent in Saint Germain des Pres. It is a unique place that reflects the Convent in its aesthetic.

This flagship store is also an exhibition space for resident artists of the art residencies at the Couvent San Francescu. A ground level of this store is dedicated to the cosmetic line of Eau de Couvent, while upstairs to various art exhibits and basement to performances or music.

This place has the double name and function of the space, and so Eau de Couvent and the San Francescu Gallery are back home from Corsica in Saint Germain des Pres.

This wonderful place is also linked to the mother of Candida Romero, a well-known painter and saver of La Ruche in Paris. She also was the founder of Le Nuage, a Saint Germain des Pres bar for literary figures next to Editions de Minuit.

Eau de Couvent is a part of whole universe, created by Candida Romero. Universe full of history, art and different planet-friendly practices, including perfumes. Eau de Convent is not the ordinary perfume brand, but also a mission to save the beauty of this world and to make it closer to all people.

 

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