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Heritage classified

Key figures

Origin and history

The Notre-Dame-de-Vie de Mougins chapel, built in the 16th century in the Alpes-Maritimes, retains traces of its Romanesque origin despite subsequent reconstructions. Its architecture is distinguished by a large three arch porch, a 11th century square bell tower, and a wrought iron gate. Inside, there are Roman cippes, an 18th century bust of St. Innocence, as well as a canvas and ex-voto of the same period. A hermitage of the early seventeenth century, joined to the chapel, completes the whole, surrounded by an enclosure housing a 15th century cross.

The chapel was once a respite sanctuary, a place where still-born children were brought in the hope that they would "resuscitate" the time of baptism during Mass. This ritual, though rare, attests to its spiritual and popular importance. She also inspired artists, like Winston Churchill, who painted it. In 1931, a monumental tomb was built there for the Guinness family, especially for Bridget, wife of Benjamin Seymour Guinness, buried after his death in his nearby residence, the mas Notre-Dame-de-Vie.

Ranked a historic monument on January 24, 1927, the chapel is now the subject of a restoration project to transform it into a small museum, while preserving its religious function. Its movable heritage includes 16th-century reliquaries, 18th- and 19th-century paintings, and a contemporary Way of the Cross by Maryvonne Schatz. These elements underline its role both cultural, historical and spiritual in the region.

The chapel is part of a rich architectural context, alongside other religious buildings in Mougins, such as the church of Saint-Jacques-le-Majeur, rebuilt in the 15th and 19th centuries, or the old chapel of the penitents (now town hall), dating from the 16th century. These monuments illustrate the evolution of the local religious heritage, marked by Romanesque, medieval and modern influences.

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