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Origin and history

The chapel of Chevènes, located in the hamlet of the same name in Denicé (Rhône), dates from the 14th century, although its bell tower may date back to the 11th or 16th century. Mentioned as early as 1225 in a stiletto with the former church of St. Mary in Denicé, it served as a parish church before being reunited in the village of Denicé. Rebuilt under the name Bienheureuse-Vierge-Marie-de-la-Pitié by the parish priest Jacques Sornet (died 1507 and buried on site), it became a chapel after the construction of the new parish church.

In the Middle Ages, the chapel was a stage on the road of Santiago de Compostela, as evidenced by the carved shells on its facade (there are only two left out of the six originals) and the alms of the pilgrims recorded in 1657. Surrounded by a cemetery, it was closed to the Revolution and fell into ruin. Saved from the demolition in 1813 by Mayor M. Sévelinges (who offered a building in exchange to repair the cure), it was restored by his descendants in the 19th century, although his apse was destroyed.

Ranked a historic monument on 19 January 1926, the chapel features a flamboyant Gothic style, with ground broken arches and a west portal adorned with pinacles. Between 1967 and 1971, the architect Jean Cateland financa of the renovation works (roof, bell tower bays, masonries). Under the location of the destroyed abside, an important vault was identified but not explored. Today, it remains a rare testimony of medieval religious architecture in Beaujolais, linked to the history of pilgrimages and local seigneuries.

Denicé, a wine-growing commune in Beaujolais, was under the Ancien Régime a priory dependent on the Archpriest of Anse and the justice of the lords of Montmelas. The Chevènes chapel illustrates the spiritual and social role of religious buildings in this region, where vineyards coexisted, seigneurial castles (like those of Talancé or Veneto) and peasant communities. Its history also reflects the upheavals of the French Revolution, during which many religious buildings were sold or destroyed.

The hamlet of Chevènes, like other places known as Denicé (Buffavent, Talancé, Malval), was integrated into a network of seigneuries and parishes structuring the territory. The chapel, though modest, was a gathering place for residents and travellers, in an area marked by breeding, viticulture and local fairs (such as the pig market of the New Houses, which disappeared in 1914).

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