Timeline

Heritage classified

Key figures

Origin and history

Remonot Chapel Cave is a Catholic religious site in a natural cave near the Combes in the Doubs. Mentioned as early as the twelfth century, it has been used as a hermitage since the eighth century by monks evangelizing the Upper Doubs. This place, dedicated to the Virgin Mary, became a chapel in the seventeenth century, served by a Morteau religious resident on site. A miraculous source and a statue of the Virgin of Mercy (15th century) are venerated, attracting pilgrims especially on 15 August, the day of the Assumption.

In the 19th century, after the construction of a nearby church in 1832, the cave underwent a phase of industrial occupation before being consecrated as a chapel in 1863. Its 30-metre-long porch houses an Art Deco master altar, while a metal bridge provides access to underground galleries covered by water table. The site, partially floodable (as in 1991), was listed as a historical monument in 2009 for its whole including the cave, courtyard, cliff and isolated bell tower.

The chapel cave illustrates the superposition of religious, industrial and geological uses. Its access, facilitated by departmental road D437 and public transport (line B of the Mobidubs network), makes it both a heritage and a tourist site. Local tradition attributes miraculous virtues to its source, strengthening its spiritual attractiveness. The total development of the cave extends over 220 metres, with siphons and gours characteristic of the Jurassian karst networks.

External links