Chapelle du Sacré Coeur

1. Sacré-Coeur Chapel

Sacré-Coeur Chapel

You're now in front of the Sacré-Coeur chapel, built in the 14th century during the same construction phase as the adjacent Chapelle de la Vierge.

The decorations date from 1866. With a width of 6.15 m and a depth of 5.50 m, the vault is 6.60 m high (cf. 1).

The fence is in cast iron, with remarkable ornaments representing wheat and vines, symbols of bread and wine. On the gate, the same symbols frame a chalice and host (cf. 2 and 3).

On the uprights of the entrance arch, 4.65 m wide and 6.10 m high, are two stones bearing inscriptions. (cf. 4 and 5 below)

Prior to 1866, one of these was embedded in the floor of the chapel, the other in the entrance porch of the church. The one on the left pillar establishes a perpetual mass to be celebrated daily for the deceased. The donor's name was probably hammered out during the French Revolution. Like many nobles hostile to the Revolution, the "de Pina" family had emigrated abroad when the situation became dangerous. As a result, their property was confiscated and sold as national property. However, we can read the date on which this mass was instituted, December 18, 1686, and the date of registration in the episcopal registers, March 6, 1687.

6. Motto on plate

On the right-hand side, we find a similar plaque, which tells us a little more: Mass should be celebrated every day in this chapel: on Sundays, for the Holy Trinity, on Saturdays, for the glory of the Virgin, and on other days for the deceased. It was founded in perpetuity by the noble Claude Pina, King's Councillor and Master of the Chamber of Accounts.

This foundation was recorded in the registers of the aforementioned court on December 18, 1686, and registered in the episcopal tables on March 6, 1687.

The plaques are surmounted by a Latin motto: "Très sacré cœur de Jésus, aie pitié de nous" ("Most sacred heart of Jesus, have mercy on us"). (cf. 6)

The chapel features numerous gold-leaf decorations depicting the Sacred Heart, while the keystone is softened by a trompe l'oeil motif reminiscent of the symbols on the enclosure grille. (cf. 7)

The altar is in wood and plaster. It was restored to its original colors in 1866. The tabernacle door, in imitation marble wood, represents the ciborium and host (cf. 8 and 9).

The altar is surmounted by a polychrome wooden statue. You can admire the pictorial achievement highlighting the statue in the foreground, the whole forming a single, homogeneous scene (cf. 11).

The half-moon coronation pediment is adorned with a medallion, the significance of which we'll discover in a later section (cf. 12).

On the altar, a lectern bears the diploma of aggregation to the Work of the Apostolate of Prayer, issued in 1866, recognizing the piety of the parish at the time (cf. 13).

Finely crafted candelabras adorn the altar (cf. 14).

15. Twisted mural painting

In the corners, magnificent trompe l'oeil twists lighten the ribs of the arches supporting the vault. (cf. 15) As in other chapels, a niche was built under the stained glass window. Its use is unknown at present. (cf. 16)

The stained glass window dates from 1947 and is by Balmet, a master glassmaker from Grenoble (cf. 17).

Opposite the altar, a 19th-century statue of an angel occupies the space (cf. 18).

The pastel-blue ceiling is enhanced by circles of gold leaf. Each panel features a different medallion: a bird and its brood; the cross of Christ; the ciborium and host (cf. 19 to 22).

The elaborate chandelier is adorned with a yet-to-be-deciphered monogram (cf. 23 and 24).