Timeline

Heritage classified

Key figures

Origin and history

The chapel of the Collège de Normandie is a Catholic religious building located in Mont-Cauvaire, Seine-Maritime. It was built in 1930 by architect Pierre Chirol in the park of the former Collège de Normandie, founded in 1901 by industrialists from Rouennais inspired by English schools. The building, made of wood, brick and reinforced concrete, is representative of the regionalist current of the inter-war period. The first stone was laid on 17 May 1930 by the Archbishop of Rouen, André du Bois de La Villerabel.

During the Second World War, the college served as a complementary hospital in 1939-1940 and was occupied by the German army between 1940 and 1941. The attractive castle was destroyed by shelling in August 1945, but the chapel survived. It was registered as historic monuments by order of 15 January 1975, thus recognizing its heritage value. Today, the building is abandoned.

The architect Pierre Chirol, author of the chapel, marked this project by his regionalist approach, combining traditional materials (wood, brick) and modern techniques (armed concrete). The Collège de Normandie, for its part, embodied an innovative educational will for the time, transposing in France the model of British school audiences. The chapel, integrated into the domain of Fossé, bears witness to this educational and architectural ambition.

The sources available, including Le Patrimoine des communes de Seine-Maritime (1997) and Nathalie Duval's studies, underline the historic importance of this site. The chapel is listed in the Mérimée and Clochers bases of France, confirming its anchoring in the Norman religious and architectural heritage. Its approximate address, 18 A Rue Tourelle, allows to locate it in the commune of Mont-Cauvaire (code Insee 76443).

External links