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All French heritage classified by regions, departments and cities

  2. Patrimoine
  3. Nouvelle-Aquitaine
  4. Landes
  5. 40270 Larrivière-Saint-Savin

  6. Notre-Dame-du-Rugby Chapel

Notre-Dame-du-Rugby Chapel dans les Landes

Landes

Notre-Dame-du-Rugby Chapel

    448 Route de la Chapelle
    40270 Larrivière-Saint-Savin
Photo de Notre-Dame-du-Rugby Chapel
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Timeline

XIXe siècle
Époque contemporaine
2000
1960
Start of clearing work
1964
Death of the three dax players
juin 1967
Opening of the chapel
1969
Creation of the Notre-Dame-du-Rugby statue
1971
Construction of the bell tower
1976-1977
Development of the access road
Aujourd'hui
Aujourd'hui

Key figures

Abbé Michel Devert - Initiator and restorer Turned ruin into a rugbystic sanctuary.
Jean Othats, Émile Carrère, Raymond Albaladejo - Rugby players died in 1964 Their memory inspired the chapel.
Pierre Lisse - Sculptor of the statue Captain of Stade Montois, author of Notre-Dame-du-Rugby.
Patrick Géminel - Creator of stained glass windows Grand Prix of Rome, drew the virgin to the player.
Robert Bézac - Bishop of Dax Inaugurated the chapel in 1967.

Origin and history

The chapel Notre-Dame-du-Rugby finds its origins in a former Roman oratory, which became sacristy of the parish church of Larriviière-Saint-Savin before its demolition in the 19th century. At the initiative of Abbé Michel Devert, passionate about rugby and committed to young people, the site was restored in 1960. This project was born after the tragic death of three Dax players in 1964: Jean Othats, Émile Carrère and Raymond Albaladejo. Abbé Devert then turned the ruins into a place of recollection dedicated to rugby, with the avalanche of sports and religious authorities.

Work was carried out between 1964 and 1977. The roof was rebuilt in 1964, the interior in 1966, and the inauguration took place in June 1967 by the bishop of Dax, Robert Bézac. Symbolic elements are gradually added: a statue of Notre-Dame-du-Rugby carved by Pierre Lisse in 1969, a bell tower in 1971, and carillons in 1974. The stained glass, mixing Christian and Rugbystic themes, is designed by Patrick Geminel, Grand Prix of Rome. The altar incorporates historical materials, such as pavements on the streets of Granada-sur-l-l-Adour and tiles of a castle.

The chapel becomes a place of pilgrimage for rugby lovers, attracting thousands of annual visitors. The walls are decorated with jerseys of sports legends, and relics, such as the shoes of the players who died in 1964, are kept there. An access road, along a former Gaul camp, was built between 1976 and 1977 thanks to the support of the General Council of the Landes and players from all over France. Today, she embodies the union between faith, memory and sports passion.

Notre-Dame-du-Rugby is part of a local tradition of sports shrines, alongside Notre-Dame-des-Cyclistes chapels and Notre-Dame-de-la-Course-Landaise chapels in the Landes. Its originality lies in its dual identity: place of prayer and temple of rugby, celebrating both spirituality and team spirit. The central figure of the project, Abbé Devert, has made it a symbol of resilience and community, rooted in the history of the Landes.

External links

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