Timeline

Heritage classified

Key figures

Origin and history

The Chapel Saint-Blaise des Baux-de-Provence is an ancient Romanesque chapel built in the 12th century by the corporation of wool weavers and cardeurs in honor of their patron saint. It became the seat of their brotherhood in the 17th century. Ranked a historic monument in 1904, it is now unacralized and hosts a permanent screening of the film La Provence vue du ciel. Its modest architecture, made of stone and Roman tiles, reflects its artisanal and community use.

The site of the chapel reveals an ancient occupation, attested by archaeological discoveries from the late nineteenth century. Cut flints, antique coins and protohistoric, Roman and medieval ceramics were exhumed there, especially during polls in 1988. These remains suggest a continuous visit to the site, from prehistoric times to modern times, where the embankment housed burials.

Located on the edge of the village of Baux-de-Provence and the castle, the chapel is distinguished by its western facade pierced by an oculus and a door in the middle of the hangar. A single bay bell tower overhangs it, while a tiny rectangular window illuminates its lateral flank. Its construction in large apparatus and its cover of Roman tiles illustrate the constructive Romanesque techniques, adapted to a small building.

Owned by the commune, the chapel is located at 28 Rue du Trencat, in the Bouches-du-Rhône. Its ranking among historical monuments in 1904 underscores its heritage importance, linked to the artisanal and religious history of the Alpilles. Its present use, tourist and cultural, perpetuates its vocation as a place of assembly, though secular.

Future

It is currently disacralized and houses the permanent projection of the film La Provence vue du ciel.

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