Chapel of the Three Fountains of Ychoux dans les Landes

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Origin and history

The Chapel of the Three Fountains is a Catholic religious building built in 1898 in Ychoux, in the Landes department, on a private land at the initiative of Abbé Lage. Inaugurated on August 22, 1899 in the Lavigne district, near the Moulin de Pin creek, it is about 9 meters long by 5 wide and is built in garluche (local material). Its interior houses an original wooden altar, statues and ex-votos. Private property, it remains a place of prayer and contemplation, combined with a cross path and three fountains renowned for their therapeutic virtues.

The three sources, dedicated to Our Lady of Ychoux, Saint John the Baptist and Saint Rose, were traditionally used to treat various ills before the advent of modern medicine. Our Lady of Ychoux was invoked for pain and rheumatism, Saint John the Baptist for skin diseases (such as eczema), and Saint Rose for skin diseases (buttons, impetigo). The faithful practiced a rudimentary hydrotherapy, soaking linens in the water before applying them to the body, a tradition still visible today with the pieces of cloth hanging on the surrounding branches. No "advisor" (local spiritual guide) intervened in Ychoux, unlike other Irish sites such as Shortness.

The chapel was restored between 1945 and 1952 by Father Loubère, parish priest of Ychoux during this period. He also built a cement base adorned with the coat of arms of Notre-Dame d'Ychoux, symbolizing both the commune (letter Y), the Landes forest (pin forked and burned, evoking gemage and fires), and religious references (Ave Maria, star of the sea). This coat of arms, integrated with an outward cross path, strengthens the link between the site, nature and popular devotion. Every year, an open-air mass is celebrated on the day of the Assumption, perpetuating tradition.

Before modern medicine, the "healing" fountains (hont guaridora in gascon) attracted the inhabitants of the Dutch villages, either individually or on collective pilgrimages. Processions and Masses, like that of the Assumption, rhythmized local religious life. Today, although less frequented, the site retains a spiritual and cultural dimension, reflecting popular practices of care and devotion in rural areas.

The building and its fountains illustrate the persistence of sacred water beliefs in the Landes, where forests, swamps and springs played a central role in daily life and rituals. The chapel, by its architectural simplicity and its anchor in the landscape, embodies both local religious history and the adaptation of traditions to medical and social developments.

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