Timeline

Heritage classified

Key figures

Origin and history

The chapel Notre-Dame de l'Immaculée Conception, known as the Rotonde d'Oulias, was built in the 2nd quarter of the 19th century (circa 1834) at the initiative of Canon Chamayou, chaplain of the sisters of Saint Joseph of Oulias. It quickly became a Marian pilgrimage place, benefiting from papal indulgences granted by Gregory XVI and from a blessing by Bishop de Gualy, Archbishop of Albi. Its original plan, composed of two unequal rotundas connected by a rectangular choir, and its coating imitating a false stone apparatus make it a unique monument in the Tarn.

The chapel was enlarged in 1878: the initial corridor was transformed into a choir, and a second, smaller rotunda was added to the rear to serve as a sacristy. The site, linked to stories of miraculous healings, also houses a cemetery with armored steles of the nuns, abolished in 1994 when the monument was transferred to the diocesan association of Albi. The interior retains a painted decor, while the exterior is distinguished by its slate roofs cut into fish scales.

Founded under the impetus of Bishop Gaston de Pins, the chapel marks the first Tarnais settlement of the Sisters of Saint Joseph. Its history reflects the importance of Marian pilgrimages in the 19th century, mixing popular devotion, innovative architecture and local religious heritage. Ranked a Historic Monument in 2001, it remains a rare testimony of this type of construction in the Occitanie region.

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