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Heritage classified

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Origin and history

The chapel Saint-Pierre de Beaucaire, built around 1770, is a religious building of the 3rd quarter of the 18th century. It is adjoining the church of Notre-Dame des Pommiers, located on the left of the nave. This small monument, composed of a nave of two spans and a rectangular bedside, was built by the Emery family, a member of which held the post of treasurer of the brotherhood of the Blessed Sacrament from 1734 to 1791. Its architecture features cradle vaults and adorned ridge vaults, as well as symmetrical niches and doors.

The bedside of the chapel, vaulted in a cradle, is marked by ornaments carved at the cross. Outside, a rectangular axial door, framed by chains and pilasters, is surmounted by a triangular pediment. Access to the chapel is via a narrow passage leading to an inner courtyard, bounded by the chapel, the church and a fence wall. This wall, against which the bedside stands, could be a vestige of the old church of Notre-Dame.

A square turret in corbellation, supported by a braided tube, is in the corner of the fence wall. Traces of cradle vaults, perhaps Romanesque, and later arching, as well as classical elements such as a plated console, testify to the complex history of this site. The chapel, classified as a Historic Monument in 1973, is now owned by the commune of Beaucaire.

The location of the chapel is approximate, with a main address at 19 rue Ledru-Rollin, although GPS coordinates suggest a position close to 14 rue du Château. These geographic inconsistencies reflect the challenges of precision in historical documentation.

The chapel Saint-Pierre, though modest, illustrates the 18th century provincial religious architecture, marked by classical influences and re-use of older elements. Its history is linked to the brotherhood of the Blessed Sacrament, a local religious institution active during the Ancien Régime.

The building, closed or partially accessible, retains a significant heritage interest, both in its architecture and in its role in Beaucaire's religious history. The visible remains, like the Romanesque vaults, offer an overview of architectural transformations over centuries.

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