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Origin and history

The Notre-Dame-du-Château chapel, located in Saint-Étienne-du-Grès in the Bouches-du-Rhône, is a Romanesque building built mainly in the second half of the 11th century, although sources also mention the 17th century as a reference period. It stands on a hill southeast of the village, accessible by a pedestrian path from Notre-Dame-du-Château Avenue. Its architecture consists of a unique nave completed by an apse in the east, flanked by arched bottoms in cradle. sculpted elements and structural analysis confirm this ancient dating, while secondary buildings were added in 1859 on its eastern flank.

The chapel houses a wooden statue from the Virgin to the Child, nicknamed "La Belle Briançonne", whose origin is surrounded by a legend: it was allegedly transported from Briançon to Tarascon by a monk in 1350. Each year, on the first Sunday before Ascension, the statue is carried in procession to Tarascon, and then brought back to the chapel 40 days later, a use attested from 1777. However, archives from 1213 already mention the name "Brégançon" or "Bergançon", suggesting a toponymic origin related to its high position, well before the legend.

Historically, the place was given in 1080 to the collegiate Saint Paul of Mausole, before the chapel became a mere place of devotion in the 18th century, where a mass was celebrated only during the Assumption. Classified as a historical monument since 28 December 1926, it now belongs to the commune. Its name would come from its dominant geographical location, while its Virgin with Child remains a central Marian symbol for local processions, perpetuating a medieval tradition still alive.

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