Timeline

Heritage classified

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Origin and history

The Notre-Dame-des-Anges chapel, located in Rochemaure in Ardèche, is a building in Provencal Gothic style. Although its initial construction dates back to the 13th century, it was thoroughly redesigned in the 16th and 17th centuries. Its architecture reflects this dual influence, mixing medieval elements with late Renaissance additions. The chapel was badly damaged in 1567 during the Wars of Religion, then restored to its cult function in 1596. It remained in use until 1865 before falling into ruins, invaded by vegetation and deprived of its campanile from 1958.

The restorations carried out in the 1960s saved the building, which was finally listed as historical monuments by order of 27 October 1971. His history is also marked by uncertainties, such as the falsification of an 18th-century plan at the National Archives in 2018, where one individual added the mention "Cheynet de Beaupré chapel". Moreover, a 1958 book suggests that it was originally the chapel of Saint John the Baptist, transformed into a burial place for the La Blache family.

Today owned by the commune of Rochemaure, the chapel illustrates the religious and political upheavals of the Ardèche, between denominational conflicts and modern heritageization. Its inclusion in the inventory of historical monuments makes it a protected testimony of this turbulent past, while raising questions about its initial use and successive transformations. The chapel is located at 581 Chemin du Château, on a site whose geographical accuracy is estimated to be "passible" (level 5/10).

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