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Origin and history

The chapel of Saint-Radegonde de Chinon is a semi-troglodytic building, dug in the yellow tuft of the hill overlooking the Vienna Valley. Its origin probably dates back to antiquity, with a well with water deemed miraculous, before being Christianized in the sixth century by the hermit John the Reclus, a British religious. The latter, installed in a nearby cave, attracted the visit of Saint Radegonde, queen of the Franks, who paid tribute to him several times. The present chapel, mentioned as ecclesia as early as 1269, was mainly built in the 11th–12th centuries, with a troglodytic nave consolidated by monolithic columns and a second nave added after a partial collapse.

The chapel houses murals from various periods, including the famous "royal hunt" (late 12th century), discovered in 1964. This fresco depicts five riders, probably Plantagenets like Henry II or Alienor of Aquitaine, in a flight hunting scene. Other decorations, from the 12th to the 19th century, adorn the walls, including scenes from the life of Radegonde and Jean le Reclus. Piled during the Wars of Religion (1563), transformed into a dwelling after the Revolution, the chapel was restored in the 19th century by Elizabeth Charre, then classified as a historic monument in 1967. It has been home to a museum of popular arts and traditions since 1966.

The site also includes an ancient well, troglodytic cavities, and a medieval ossuary. The 20th century excavations revealed merovingian sarcophagi and statues, while the paintings, restored in 2008 and 2011, testify to mixed techniques (fresco and wet). Today, open to the public in summer, the chapel illustrates the evolution of a pagan place of worship as a Christian sanctuary, marked by hermitage, pilgrimages and architectural transformations.

Architecturally, the chapel consists of two naves: one entirely troglodytic, supported by Corinthian pillars, the other with an open sky, separated by a colonnade. The eastern part, decorated with restored seventeenth century paintings, leads to a vaulted walkway giving access to the well. The exterior walls, in tuffeau, bear the traces of a Romanesque portal and walled bays. The complex, owned by the city of Chinon since 1957, thus combines religious, archaeological and ethnographic heritage.

The paintings of the "royal hunt", studied by historians such as Nurith Kenaan-Kedar, raise debates about their symbolism. Dated in the mid-12th century thanks to carbon 14 (2019), they could commemorate a Plantagenet event, such as Alienor's captivity or a royal marriage. Their technique, mixing fresco and wet, and their transitional style (roman/gothic) make it a rare testimony of medieval tourist art. The site, linked to the legend of Jean le Reclus and the devotee Radegonde, also embodies the Christianization of pagan places in the Loire Valley.

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