Chapelle du 14e siècle dite Lanterne des morts
MonumentHidden Treasure
Chapelle du 14e siècle dite Lanterne des morts, located in Saumur (Maine-et-Loire), is a medieval landmark built in the Middle Ages. The monument is currently closed to visitors.
Key facts
- Type
- autre
- Period
- Medieval (11th-15th century)
- Location
- Saumur, Maine-et-Loire, Pays de la Loire
- Visit
- Closed to visitors
- GPS
- 47.2614, -0.0805
- Mérimée Reference
- PA00109305
Énigmatique rescapée du cimetière médiéval Saint-Nicolas, cette chapelle funéraire du XIVe siècle cache sa pyramide octogonale au fond d'une cour saumuroise, vestige rarissime des lanternes des morts de l'Anjou.
History
Tucked away in a private courtyard in the rue Saint-Nicolas in Saumur, the chapel known as the Lanterne des morts is one of those architectural nuggets that the town jealously guards away from hasty glances. Built in the 14th century in the grounds of the former Saint-Nicolas cemetery, it belongs to a family of medieval funerary monuments of which only a few examples remain in France, making each specimen all the more precious. The first thing that strikes you is the uniqueness of its shape: a square room surmounted by a four-sided pyramid that gradually becomes octagonal, marking the transition with delicate pinnacles. This skilful geometry, rare in Anjou funerary architecture, bears witness to the skills of the stonemasons of the Loire Valley in the early Flamboyant Gothic period. The interior, comprising a single room decorated with four false arches, exudes an austere and enveloping atmosphere of contemplation. The visit is as much about the building itself as its unusual urban setting. Tucked away between the houses, the monument is revealed like a secret torn from the domestic fabric of the old town. It's easy to imagine the funeral processions that once snaked their way to this sepulchral chapel, light flickering above the roofs of the old cemetery. For lovers of medieval heritage, the chapel is a must-see when visiting Saumur. It is the perfect complement to the royal castle and the troglodyte caves in the area, offering an intimate and little-known facet of the town of the Dukes of Anjou. A monument in its own right, protected since 1922, it's well worth taking the time to find out more.
Architecture
The chapel has a square floor plan, a classic feature of medieval funerary chapels, and its interior is punctuated by four blind false arches set into the walls. These arcatures, typical of Angevin Gothic vocabulary, create a play of shadows and depths that enliven the walls without breaking the unity of the space. The single room, modest in size, exudes a sober solemnity befitting its sepulchral vocation. The roof is the most remarkable feature of the building: initially a four-sided pyramid, it gradually becomes an octagonal spire, a transition skilfully underlined by small pinnacles at the corners of the passage from one plane to the other. This device, which is both functional and decorative, testifies to a certain mastery of stone-cutting and careful consideration of the transition between geometric shapes. The top of the building was probably a lantern designed to hold a flame, in keeping with the tradition of medieval lanterns for the dead. The materials used are typical of medieval construction in the Saumur region: tuffeau, a soft white limestone quarried from the cliffs of the Loire Valley, which is easy to sculpt and ideal for ornamental details. This material, omnipresent in the architecture of the Loire Valley, gives the building a special luminosity and links it to the great building tradition of Anjou and Touraine. Despite the alterations carried out around 1780, the original medieval structure has been remarkably well preserved.
Related Figures
Chanoines de Saint-Nicolas — desservants de la paroisse qui commanditèrent ou administrèrent la chapelle funéraire au XIVe sièclePropriétaires du XVIIIe siècle — auteurs de la conversion en habitation vers 1780, acteurs discrets mais déterminants dans la survie du monumentInspecteurs des Monuments Historiques (début XXe siècle) — responsables du signalement et du classement de la chapelle en 1922Ducs d'Anjou (XIVe siècle) — seigneurs de Saumur sous lesquels la chapelle fut érigée, dans le contexte du puissant duché angevin
Tags
Nearby castles
Frequently Asked Questions
Where is Chapelle du 14e siècle dite Lanterne des morts located?
Chapelle du 14e siècle dite Lanterne des morts is located in Saumur, Maine-et-Loire department, Pays de la Loire region, France.
When was Chapelle du 14e siècle dite Lanterne des morts built?
Chapelle du 14e siècle dite Lanterne des morts dates back to a period built in the Middle Ages (11th-15th century).
Is Chapelle du 14e siècle dite Lanterne des morts open to visitors?
Chapelle du 14e siècle dite Lanterne des morts is currently closed to visitors.
