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A small chapel built a little way from the village in the early 18th century, as the castle chapel was falling into ruin... What's special about this chapel is that it was built stone by stone by the villagers themselves.
Description
In 1687, with the château chapel threatening ruin, it was decided to build a new chapel. This was built a little way from the village, using stones from the castral chapel, whose choir had collapsed in the meantime (a stone in a corner chain bears the mark of tâcheron R). All village inhabitants took part in its construction, which began in 1709; the chapel was completed and the roof put in place in 1718. The building was restored in 1876, the date inscribed in the plaster of a tie beam, and raised by around one metre in rubble stone; a further restoration has taken place over the last decade.
The chapel, with its elongated plan and flat chevet, is built in small-scale, dressed limestone, with the exception of the upper section, which is approximately one metre of rubble; some "safre" (molasse) rubble is used in the construction. The west-facing gable wall is buttressed by two lateral buttresses added later. The symmetrical facade features a segmental doorway, topped by an oculus and flanked by two round-headed windows; it is topped by a bell tower with a segmental bay. On the opposite side, the eastern gable wall is blind; a round-arched window with double splaying and monolithic round-headed lintel illuminates the nave. The building is covered by a long-sloped roof of hollow tiles, closed by a row of genoese. The interior consists of a plastered, round-arched nave. The furnishings include a curved tomb altar in the elevation and a fluted stoup to the left of the entrance door.
The Saint-Barthélemy chapel is intimately linked to Chamaret's social history; built by the inhabitants themselves and dear to their hearts, it bears witness to the village's community spirit.
Spoken languages
- French
Themes
- Religious heritage
- Chapel