In June 1084 the Bishop of Grenoble, the future St Hugo, led the future Saint Bruno and his companions to an isolated valley in the Massif of Chartreuse. Here the seven brothers built a church and surrounded it with cells in which each could live a solitary life in silence and prayer. Separated from the monks and below them lived the lay brothers. These two centers—upper house and lower house—made up the first Carthusian monastery. They were located in a solitary area, or desertum, an area apart from the activity of public life.

Saint Bruno’s plan for monastic life was a combination of cloistered and community living. Community living was a necessary part of religious life because it sustained the physical needs of the monks—food, medicine, clothing--and provided protection. According to his plan, each Carthusian monk had to dedicate himself to study, to manual labor and to 24-hour a day prayer. In a normal day a monk could only leave his cell to go to chapel, which he did three times a day. The life of the Carthusian was one of contemplation and reflection. Saint Bruno believed physical labor strengthened the body for prayer and included upkeep of one’s cell, gardening and copying manuscripts. The monastery was virtually autonomous; lay brothers looked after many of the necessities. Except on rare occasions, the rule of silence predominated. Meals were taken in the refectory on Sundays and holidays; walks were taken on Mondays.

The dress of the Carthusian monk was described by Father General Guignes in his writings between 1121 and 1127 and was recognised as a rule of the Order on December 22, 1133 by Pope Innocent II. Rules for the Order were drawn up following the Council of Trent. In 1582 these rules were approved at a general meeting of the Order, and in 1688 the same statutes were approved by the Pope.