Timeline

Heritage classified

Key figures

Origin and history

The chapel of Montcalm, located in the commune of Vauvert in the Camargue Gardoise, was built in the second half of the 19th century. It belonged to the neighbouring wine estate, created by the Noilly Prat family from 1882, a period marked by the fight against phylloxera. This area, including rooms, stables and accommodation for employees, reflected the industrial ambition of Louis Prat, a Marseille entrepreneur.

In a neo-Romano-Byzantine style with Provencal influences, the chapel is distinguished by its central dome and slender bell tower. His stained glass windows, made in 1886 by Edward Didron, illustrate the life of Saint Lazarus. The plans are attributed to Henri Revoil or Auguste Véran, architects in vogue with the bourgeoisie of the time. The building, isolated from the rest of the estate, served as both a place of worship and a symbol of prestige for the owners.

Ranked a historic monument on July 31, 2000, the chapel is now owned by a diocesan association. Its architecture and stained glass windows testify to the influence of industrial families on local religious heritage. It remains accessible from the departmental roads 779 and 78, close to Gallician and d'Aigues-Mortes.

The Montcalm estate, on which it depended, also included agricultural and residential infrastructure, such as a school or a castle d ́eau. This complex illustrates the social organization of the major wine estates of the 19th century, where employers and labour lived in a structured environment. The chapel, although without any interior decoration except its capitals, embodies this mixture of utility and ostentation characteristic of the era.

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