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Heritage classified

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Origin and history

The chapel of Saint-Jean-Baptiste de Flacé, located in the village of Flacé on the town of Souligné-sous-Ballon (formerly Souligné-Flacé) in Sarthe, is a Romanesque building whose initial construction dates back to the 11th century, although its most prominent elements — western facade, bell tower-wall and openings — date back to the 15th and 16th centuries. Former parish church under the Diocese of Mans and the dean of Vallon, it was decommissioned as a main place of worship before being classified as a historical monument on 26 June 1946. Today, its management is carried out by the association Les amis de la chapele de Flacé since 1970.

The interior of the chapel reveals a simple but elegant plan: a unique nave of 14 meters by 7, extended by a narrow bedside ending in hemicycle, with a vaulted apse in cul-de-four. The western wall, rebuilt in the 16th century, supports a characteristic bell tower wall. The building owes its fame above all to its 15th century murals, representing major hagiographic scenes: Saint John the Evangelist, Saint Nicholas, Saint Martin sharing his coat, Saint Michael terrorizing the dragon, Saint Francis receiving stigma, Saint Barbe and Saint Peter. These frescoes, although partially erased by time, bear witness to the iconographic richness of the rural churches of the time.

The historical sources underline its past role as parish church of Flacé, integrated into a local religious network centered on the diocese of Le Mans. Its classification as historical monuments in 1946 allowed its preservation, while its transfer to a local association in 1970 ensured its heritage development. Recent studies, such as those of Alain Valais (2021), are among the notable examples of medieval rural churches in the Sarthe, marked by late redevelopments in the 15th and 16th centuries.

The chapel thus illustrates the architectural and liturgical evolution of small religious buildings between the Middle Ages and the Renaissance. Its present state, although modified over the centuries, preserves tangible traces of its primary function: a place of worship and assembly for the community of Flacé, now disappeared as an autonomous parish. The murals, in particular, offer a valuable insight into popular devotion and the holy narratives that structured the spiritual life of the Sarthoese countryside.

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