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Heritage classified

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Origin and history

The chapel of the White Penitents of La Tour, located at the place called the Casette at the entrance of the village, was built in the second half of the 15th century. It served as a seat at the Confrerie du Gonfalon et de la Miséricorde, dedicated to the Holy Cross, and was enlarged by a span in 1672. Classified as a historic monument in 1944, it houses protected objects, including exceptional murals.

The frescoes of the bedside, dated August 23, 1491, were made by the painters of Nice Curraud Brevesi and Guirard Nadal. They represent a final Judgment inspired by the Gospel of Matthew and Revelation, with a Christ-judge surrounded by angels, the Virgin and Saint John the Baptist. The central sign shows the Virgin to the Child, Saint Bernard of Menthon (holding a chained devil) and Saint Brigitte of Sweden. A dedication mentions the sponsor Guillaume Bachelar de Tournefort, who financed the work in honor of God, the Virgin, and Saints Vincent and William around 1470-1480.

The side walls illustrate the Passion of Christ in 19 scenes, from the entrance to Jerusalem to the apparition to Mary Magdalene, through the Crucifixion and the Resurrection. Under these scenes, seven Vertus (Diligence, Abstinence, Piety...) and seven Vices (Orgueil, Avarice, Luxurious...) are personified, with devils pushing the damned towards Hell. The vault, painted later, shows a Christ in Majesty surrounded by the symbols of the Evangelists.

The chapel was decorated with floral motifs in the 19th century, and its facade was restored in 1980 by a trompe-l'oeil. The murals, classified in 1908, bear witness to the medieval Niçois religious art and the influence of the brotherhoods of penitents, active in the region. The building, owned by the municipality, remains a rare example of a confraternal chapel preserved with its original decoration.

Historical sources cite local studies, such as those of Léo Imbert (1948) or Paul Roque (2006), which highlight the importance of this monument in the painted heritage of the Alpes-Maritimes. The chapel, still located at 5348 La Casette, is a key place to understand sacred art and collective devotion in Provence at the end of the Middle Ages.

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