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Origin and history

The Notre-Dame-des-Monts chapel, located on the road to La Madone du Mont in Breil-sur-Roya (Alpes-Maritimes), is a medieval building. It would have been the former parish church of the village, then settled in the present-day neighbourhood of Bourg. Architectural elements such as the southern absidiole, the abside and the southern side wall bear witness to the first Romanesque art, dating from the late 11th or early 12th century. These parts have similarities with the church of Madonna del Poggio in Saorgia, reinforcing this chronological hypothesis. The village of Breil, mentioned for the first time in 1157 under the name of Brehl, was then a strategic place linked to the Counts of Vintimille and the Republic of Genoa.

In the 13th century, the chapel underwent major changes: construction of the northern absidiole, the northern side wall, pillars and interior arches. The openings are enlarged and a porch is added. In 1571, painter Augustin Reibaudi, originally from Triora, made frescoes of which today only remains remains. At the end of the sixteenth century, the chapel was raised (probably completed in 1589, according to a missing inscription), then the vaults were lowered in the seventeenth century and a bell tower was erected before 1643. Damaged during the Revolution in 1793, it was restored between 1819 and 1841, with the repair of roofs, altars and furniture, as well as the addition of a new bell in 1868.

Ranked a historic monument on December 28, 1978, the chapel was cleaned by volunteers between 1964 and 1970, followed by restorations by the Historic Monuments. Its history reflects the architectural and political developments of the region, marked by conflicts between local lords, the Republic of Genoa and post-Revolutional religious transformations. The stylistic analogies with other buildings in the Alpes-Maritimes, such as the Madonna del Poggio, underline its importance in the Provence Romanesque heritage.

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