Timeline

Heritage classified

Key figures

Origin and history

The portal of the chapel Saint-Georges-de-Bouillé is the only preserved vestige of an ancient Catholic chapel originally located at the place called Bouillé, west of Val-Saint-Père, near the estuary of the Sée. Built between the second half of the 11th century and the first half of the 12th century, it was dedicated to Saint George and Saint Hubert. The latter was invoked to cure rabies: a key, touched by its effigy and then heated, was applied to the wounds of the sick as a remedy. The chapel depended on the bishop of Avranches, who named the chaplain and perceived the tithe.

In 1843, the Romanesque portal, threatened with destruction, was saved by the Archaeology Society of Avranches. A certain Dupont, owner of the premises, donated it and financed his transport to the Jardin des Plantes d'Avranches, where he was rebuilt with his original orientation. The chosen site offered a view of Mont Saint-Michel and the strike of Bouillé. This portal, a rare example of Norman Romanesque architecture, was inscribed in historical monuments on 14 May 1937.

Today integrated into the landscape of the Garden of Plants, the portal recalls the religious and medieval history of the region. Its displacement in the 19th century illustrates efforts to preserve the local heritage, while many buildings disappeared. The original chapel, disappeared, was a place of pilgrimage linked to the cults of St George and St Hubert, reflecting the religious and medical practices of the time.

External links