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Heritage classified

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Origin and history

The Chapel of Mercy, known as the Black Penitents, is a Catholic religious building emblematic of the Nice Baroque. Built between 1747 and 1770 on ancient salt warehouses of the king of Sardinia, it was commissioned by the theatins and designed by the Turin architect Bernardo Antonio Vittone. Its piedmontese Baroque plan, adapted to a small space, superimposed the church and convent, separated by oculi. The unique elliptical nave, bordered by lateral chapels with curved lines, is decorated with golden stucco and a trompe-l'oeil fresco giving the illusion of an open sky.

The chapel houses two notable early works: a Virgin of Mercy by J. Mirhalet and another attributed to Louis Brea, while a Missal of 1442 (the only known copy of the diocese of Nice) is kept in the Roman-Gary library. Ranked a Historic Monument in 1921, it underwent extensive backup work between 2002-2003 after cracks caused by the development of underground parking. The exterior restorations, carried out from 2009, concerned facades, roofs, sculptures and decorations, preserving this threatened masterpiece.

The interior architecture, marked by the profusion of ors and stuccos, illustrates the influence of the Piedmontese baroque. The lateral chapels, also elliptic, reinforce the effect of movement and light, characteristic of the style. The dome, decorated with a celestial fresco, creates an illusion of infinite space, typical of the religious buildings of the Counter-Reform. The chapel remains a major testimony of the Niçois sacred art and its connection with the nearby Piedmont.

In 1980, the building was weakened by the work of the adjacent underground car park, causing lizards on the facades. The micro-pairs installed during the 2002-2003 work stabilized the structure, while the 2009 renovation (duration: 14 months) restored the exterior elements, including the eye tubes and cast iron sculptures. These interventions helped to preserve this heritage, symbol of devotion and craftsmanship except in the eighteenth century of Nice.

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