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Origin and history

The Saint Vincent Chapel, located on a hill at 480 m altitude in Saint-Laurent-d'Agny (Rhône), is a place of worship with centuries-old origins. The site, occupied as early as the Neolithic period as evidenced by the surrounding megaliths, was then invested by the Celts Ségusiaves, then the Romans before the Christian era. A Carolingian church is supposed to be there in the 10th century, although there is no written evidence to confirm it. The present chapel, built in the 11th century and dedicated to Saint Vincent de Zaragoza, patron saint of winemakers, was cited in the cartular of Savigny Abbey in the 10th century.

In the 12th century, the chapel became an annex parish of Saint-Laurent-d'Agny, after being demoted to the status of a simple chapel. During the Hundred Years War, in 1364, it was the scene of a massacre perpetrated by the Tard-Venus, mercenaries led by Seguin de Badenfol. The inhabitants, refugees in the building, were looted, raped and massacred, and the bell tower burned. Pope Urban V ordered his reconciliation in 1365, celebrated by the parish priest Guillaume Beci of Saint-Genis-Laval. The bell tower was rebuilt, but the chapel lost its cultural importance, serving only for a few offices.

During the French Revolution, the chapel was sold as a national property in 1792, then bought by 27 parishioners who restored it to worship. It was then home to clandestine Masses celebrated by refractory priests, such as the parish priest Peyzaret. Ranked a historical monument in 1945 and restored in 1956, it regained its original Romanesque appearance, with a cradle vault, a dome and stained glass windows created by Auguste Labouret. Today, the site attracts lovers of Romanesque art as well as pilgrims or geobiologists, fascinated by its architectural harmony and mystical history.

The chapel preserves traces of its pagan and Christian past, such as re-used Celtic crosses, a classified linden, and remarkable statues, including a classified 15th century Virgin, Notre Dame de Bonne Garde, and a reliquary statue of Saint Vincent of the 17th century. The place is also associated with popular traditions, such as the divination of young girls at the feast of St Vincent on January 22. Its architecture, respecting the golden number, makes it a space for meditation, while its tumultuous history has made it a symbol of resistance and faith.

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