Timeline

Heritage classified

Key figures

Origin and history

The chapel of Magrigne, located in Saint-Laurent-d'Arce en Gironde, is a 13th century Templar building, classified as a Historic Monument on November 10, 1921. It represents the most complete and best preserved type of hospital churches in the region, with a rectangular plan typical of Templar buildings. Its architecture combines Romanesque and Gothic elements, as evidenced by its door in the middle of the hangar adorned with archicvolts and its arch in an ogival cradle.

Dedicated to Saint Quitterie, a Christian martyr of the fifth century, the chapel was a place of pilgrimage on the road to Compostela. The pilgrims used the Moron River, a nearby waterway, to reach Santiago de Compostela. Today it hosts cultural events and is studied by the Association Historique et Archéologique de Saint-Laurent-d'Arce (ARHAL).

The chapel is distinguished by its remarkable architectural details: buttresses reinforcing the corners, staircase integrated in the thickness of the walls, and a simple arcade bell tower. Inside, traces of medieval paintings, including crosses from Malta of the order of St John of Jerusalem, remain despite their degradation. Outside, two canonial dials engraved in the stone are visible on the south facade.

The site, formerly called "Port Malo", was a strategic point for pilgrims and travellers. The chapel, a communal property, illustrates the importance of religious buildings in welcoming and protecting travellers in the Middle Ages. Its state of conservation makes it a valuable testimony of hospital architecture in Gironde.

The decoration of the chapel combines Romanesque and Gothic influences, with carved capitals, beaded interlacs and stylized plant motifs. The door, topped by three archvolts, and the double-brassed windows (full-cintra inside, ogival outside) reflect this duality. The adjacent building, now extinct, was reportedly destroyed between the 16th and 17th centuries.

External links