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Chapel of the Madeleine de Bédoin dans le Vaucluse

Patrimoine classé
Patrimoine religieux
Chapelle romane
Art roman provençal
Vaucluse

Chapel of the Madeleine de Bédoin

    Route de Malaucène
    84410 Bédoin
Chapelle de la Madeleine de Bédoin
Chapelle de la Madeleine de Bédoin
Chapelle de la Madeleine de Bédoin
Chapelle de la Madeleine de Bédoin
Chapelle de la Madeleine de Bédoin
Chapelle de la Madeleine de Bédoin
Chapelle de la Madeleine de Bédoin
Chapelle de la Madeleine de Bédoin
Chapelle de la Madeleine de Bédoin
Chapelle de la Madeleine de Bédoin
Chapelle de la Madeleine de Bédoin
Chapelle de la Madeleine de Bédoin
Chapelle de la Madeleine de Bédoin
Chapelle de la Madeleine de Bédoin
Chapelle de la Madeleine de Bédoin
Chapelle de la Madeleine de Bédoin
Chapelle de la Madeleine de Bédoin
Chapelle de la Madeleine de Bédoin
Chapelle de la Madeleine de Bédoin
Chapelle de la Madeleine de Bédoin
Chapelle de la Madeleine de Bédoin
Crédit photo : Véronique PAGNIER - Sous licence Creative Commons

Timeline

Moyen Âge central
Bas Moyen Âge
Renaissance
Temps modernes
Révolution/Empire
XIXe siècle
Époque contemporaine
1000
1100
1200
1300
1400
1500
1600
1900
2000
Xe siècle
Initial data
998, 1097, 1102
Pontifical confirmations
1447
Synodal mention
1502
Union at the cathedral
18 août 1947
MH classification
1860 et 1953
Major restorations
1971
Reopening to worship
Aujourd'hui
Aujourd'hui

Heritage classified

Chapelle de la Madeleine : classification by order of 18 August 1947

Key figures

Exmido - Lord of Bédoin (Xth century) Initial donor at Montmajour Abbey.
Grégoire V - Pope (998) Confirm the gift of the priory.
Urbain II - Pope (1097) Validates Benedictine property again.
Pascal II - Pope (1102) Last known medieval confirmation.
Alexandre VI - Pope (1502) Unite the prioress in Carpentras.
Barthélemi Vitelleschi - Bishop of Carpentras (1447) Call Saint Peter to the Synod.

Origin and history

The Madeleine Chapel, located in Bédoin in the Vaucluse, is one of the oldest examples of Provencal Romanesque architecture. This building, originally a Benedictine priory of the 11th century (attested from the second quarter), was first dedicated to Saint Peter of Monestrol before being associated with Mary Magdala in the 16th century. Its origin dates back to a donation by Exmido, Lord of Bédoin, in the 10th century, who offered the villa and the churches of his fief, including this chapel, to the Abbey of Montmajour (founded in 949). This donation was confirmed by Popes Gregory V (998), Urban II (1097) and Pascal II (1102), marking its medieval religious importance.

In the Middle Ages, the priory, then named Saint Peter of Monestrol, was mentioned in 1447 during a synod of the bishopric of Carpentras, without a designated prior. In 1502, Pope Alexander VI joined the Cathedral of Saint-Siffrein in Carpentras, permanently placing him under the name of Mary Magdalene. The building, restored in 1860 and then in 1953, was reopened to worship in 1971 and classified as a historical monument in 1947.

From an architectural point of view, the chapel is distinguished by its Romanesque square plan, with a vaulted nave, a bedside with three semicircular apses (side apsidioles), and a 12th century square bell tower overlooking the bedside. The latter, adorned with gelatinous berries and covered with lauze, illustrates a rare arrangement in Provence. Built in irregular rubble, the chapel retains a side portal and pillars supporting the vault, typical of the first southern Romanesque art.

The chapel is now located in a private property, below the departmental road to Malaucene, 3 km from Bédoin. Open to visitors on Saturdays and Sundays, it bears witness to almost a millennium of religious and architectural history, from its Benedictine origins to its modern heritage protection.

External links