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Heritage classified

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Origin and history

The 14th century chapel, known as the Lantern of the Dead, is a tombstone monument located in Saumur, in the ancient cemetery of Saint Nicholas. Built in the 14th century, it consists of a square room decorated with false arcades, surmounted by a pyramid with multiple panels. Pinacles marked the change of plan, and a lantern could once crown it. This rare type of building probably served as a place of recollection and memory for the deceased.

Around 1780, the chapel was transformed into a dwelling, integrated into the urban fabric. In 1910, it was accessible by a courtyard at 72bis on Rue Saint-Nicolas, but part was destroyed in 1978. Ranked a Historical Monument in 1922, it bears witness to medieval funeral architecture. Its current location, enclaved among the houses, reflects the urban changes of Saumur.

The chapel illustrates the evolution of the uses of religious buildings over the centuries. Originally linked to the Saint-Nicolas cemetery, it lost its original function to adapt to residential needs. Its architecture, with its pyramid and arcades, remains a remarkable example of the Angeline funerary heritage of the Middle Ages.

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