The Monastery was founded in 1173, the year in which the lords of Morozzo donated  to the carthusian Order all the land of the upper Pesio Valley. The Monastery, not far from the head quarters in Grenoble, was to be the third most important in Italy after the Calabrese site in Serra San Bruno , founded by St. Brunone himself in 1090 , and the nearby Cenobio of Casotto.

Initially the monks settled on the left bank of the Pesio river, building the Corriera, which was to become home to the lay members of the community, and a few years later the construction of the monastery itself began on the opposite side of the river.

Over the course of centuries the Carthusian monastery was enlarged with the construction on the second storey of a large cloisters and a church, which was destined in time to become a show case with precious works of art by Pentani and Claret.

In the mid seventeenth century, the monastic complex was drastically re- designed by the Savoia architect Giovanale Boetto with the construction , among other things , of an elegant lodge which extends right the way along the entrance drive.

In 1802 the monastery was suppressed by the Napoleonic government , its artistic and architectural heritage were re-destined and during the nineteenth century the austere walls of the monastery housed a luxury spa frequented by European high society.

At the outbreak of the first world war the hotel closed its shutters and the building was abandoned to the elements until 1934 when the  Missionary fathers once more transformed it into an important spiritual centre. 

Since 1978 the monastery has been included within the bounds of the upper Pesio an Tanaro Valley nature reserve, a protected area of 7000 hectares, dominated by the imposing calcareous mass known as Marguareis