Chapelle Saint Paul - Saint Michel l'Observatoire, Paca, France
Posted by: Groundspeak Premium Member YvesProvence
N 43° 54.130 E 005° 42.987
31T E 718149 N 4864593
Chapelle Saint Paul de St Michel l'Observatoire
Waymark Code: WMW7RF
Location: Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur, France
Date Posted: 07/21/2017
Published By:Groundspeak Premium Member fi67
Views: 3
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FR Isolée à proximité d'une petite route (D105) au sud du village de Saint-Michel, ce curieux édifice est une construction romane du XIIe siècle. De forme presque cubique, il se remarque par sa façade construite sur les restes des arcades d'un cloître ou d'un porche disparu. De part et d'autre de la porte d'entrée, deux courtes colonnes portent trois arcs dont seul le central est entier, et dont les chapiteaux sont décorés de feuilles d'acanthe et de palmettes. Le toit est couvert de lauzes et surmonté d'une croix de fer ; un court chevet rectangulaire prolonge l'arrière de l'édifice.

Devant le monument subsistent encore les bases d'autres colonnes ayant également supporté le cloître. Les fûts de ces colonnes furent volés dans les années 1970. L'intérieur présente une nef en berceau plein cintre et une abside en cul-de-four.

Ce minuscule sanctuaire fut construit sur un site occupé dans l'Antiquité, peut-être un temple ou un mausolée gréco-romain. Les trois arcades sont vraisemblablement les restes du cloître d'un prieuré médiéval disparu, un petit monastère qui dépendait de celui de Carluc et qui était géré par un chapelain.

Dévastée au moment de la Révolution, la chapelle Saint-Paul fut vendue comme bien national. Sauvée de la ruine au XIXe siècle par Gonzague de Rey, elle appartient aujourd'hui encore à un particulier. Elle a été classée monument historique en 1930.

On célèbre encore aujourd'hui une messe à la chapelle le jour de la fête de saint-Pierre et de saint Paul, c'est-à-dire le 29 juin.
EN Isolated near a small road (D105) south of the village of Saint-Michel, this curious building is a Romanesque construction of the 12th century. Of almost cubic form, it is remarkable for its facade built on the remains of the arches of a cloister or a porch disappeared. On either side of the entrance door, two short columns carry three arches of which only the central is complete, and whose capitals are decorated with acanthus leaves and palmettes. The roof is covered with slate and surmounted by an iron cross; A short rectangular bedside extends the back of the building.

In front of the monument still remain the bases of other columns which also supported the cloister. The barrels of these columns were stolen in the 1970s. The interior presents a nave in a semi-circular cradle and an apse in the cul-de-four.

This tiny sanctuary was built on a site occupied in antiquity, perhaps a temple or a Greco-Roman mausoleum. The three arcades are probably the remains of the cloister of a lost medieval priory, a small monastery which depended on that of Carluc and which was managed by a chaplain.

Devastated at the time of the Revolution, the chapel of Saint-Paul was sold as national property. Saved from ruin in the 19th century by Gonzague de Rey, it still belongs to a private individual. It was classified as a historic monument in 1930.

A mass is still celebrated today in the chapel on the feast of St. Peter and St. Paul, that is, on the 29th of June.
Type of Church: Chapel

Status of Building: Actively in use for worship

Diocese: Digne les Bains

Address/Location:
D105
Saint Michel l'Observatoire, France
04870

Relvant Web Site: [Web Link]

Date of organization: Not listed

Date of building construction: Not listed

Dominant Architectural Style: Not listed

Associated Shrines, Art, etc.: Not listed

Archdiocese: Not listed
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