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Origin and history

The imperial chapel of Ajaccio, also called the Palatine Chapel, was built in 1859 on the initiative of Napoleon III to honour the last wishes of Cardinal Fesch, buried there. This monument, erected in stone of Saint-Florent in a neo-renaissance style, adopts a form of Latin cross. It adjacent the Fesch Palace, forming its southern wing, and also houses the graves of several members of the Bonaparte family, including Marie Letizia Bonaparte, mother of Napoleon I, transferred in 1860.

The project was entrusted to two architects of the crown: Alexis Paccard, author of the plans, and Jean Caseneuve, head of the works. The chapel, classified as a historical monument since 22 July 1924, has a nave with collateral, a dome illuminated by the summit, and an octagonal crypt in white marble. The sarcophagi, integrated into the walls, are closed by black marble slabs. On the occasion of the bicentenary of Napoleon's death in 2021, it was exceptionally open to the public.

The interior of the chapel is decorated with stuccos imitating marble, greyish on pendants and dome, and stained-glass windows illuminating the lower side. The main façade opens with a large arcade leading to a porch with a bronze door. The bottoms are closed by wrought iron grilles, while the ground, paved with white and black marble, overlooks an crypt illuminated by an openwork bronze rosette.

The construction of the chapel responded to a testamentary clause of Cardinal Fesch, not executed by his universal legatee, Joseph Bonaparte. Napoleon III ordered in 1851 the translation of the remains of the cardinal and Madame Mother, thus marking the conclusion of a family and memorial project. Owned by the state, this place symbolizes the imperial heritage in Corsica and its link with the Bonaparte dynasty.

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