Timeline

Heritage classified

Key figures

Origin and history

The chapel Notre-Dame de Liesse et de Consolation, located at Moulins-sur-Yèvre, originated in 1619 when Catherine Doulé, wife of Pierre de Biet (Lord of Maubranche), had it built after a miracle. This place of pilgrimage, served by the Carmelites of Bourges, was accompanied by a hospice and gardens. It became a site of Marian devotion for the local population and visiting pilgrims.

In 1808, Count Marie-Barthélémy de Bar transformed the chapel into a family grave for the Chatelans of Maubranche. A major reconstruction took place from 1872, led by architects Émile Bussière and Albert Pascault. The site was then embellished in 1889 by landscape architect Henri Duchêne, who surrounded it with a persistent green wall, creating a vegetal box around the monument.

At the beginning of the 20th century, Marquis Félix de Chaumont-Quitry erected a monumental white marble group in memory of his wife, who died in 1907. This sculpture, always visible in front of the chapel, marks the culmination of the site's transformations. The chapel, its enclosure and this carved group were protected by an inscription at the Historic Monuments in 2013, recognizing their heritage and historical value.

The monument thus illustrates centuries of religious, funeral and artistic history, mixing popular devotion, aristocratic sponsors and interventions by renowned architects and artists. Its evolution reflects the changes in vocation of the place, from Marian pilgrimage to the private chapel and then to the memorial site.

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