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Heritage classified

Key figures

Origin and history

Sainte-Marguerite Chapel, located in the village of Saint-Dalmas-le-Selvage (Alpes-Maritimes), is a modest religious building built at the end of the 15th century. It is presented as a simple three-span parallelepiped, covered with a roof in larch shingles. His bedside was decorated around 1480-1490 with frescoes a tempera representing the Virgin in majesty and seven saints, attributed to the Piedmontese painter Giovanni Baleison, active between Liguria and Nice County. These paintings, rediscovered in 1996 behind a 17th century retable, date back to the 1470s-1475s and illustrate the transalpine artistic influence of the period.

At the beginning of the 17th century, the chapel was slightly redesigned to become the seat of the brotherhood of the White Penitents, whose furniture it still retains. Among its remarkable elements are a wooden altarpiece decorated with torso columns, a painting by the Crucifixion signed Pierre Puons, and a polychrome statue of Saint Marguerite from the 17th century, restored in the 19th century. The cult of this saint, very lively in Provence, explains the dedication of the building. These baroque additions contrast with the original medieval sobriety.

Classified as a historical monument since 20 January 2000, the chapel bears witness to both late Gothic art and the devotional practices of Alpine communities. Its painted decor, exceptional for the region, and its confraternal furniture make it a rare example of liturgical continuity between the Middle Ages and the modern era. The property of the municipality guarantees its preservation.

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