A Cute Little Chapel at Tulette
May 27th, 2007 by Karen
Notre Dame of the Roare
Although a precise date of construction is not available for this chapel, its style is of the earliest type of Romanesque construction. In addition, historians of the church connect to it to Benedictine history–it is part of the order of Cluny and nearby churches were established in Pont St Esprit in 948. Notable in this small chapel is the stained glass which is an ancient copy of the even older original. It represents a pair of oxen with their Master, kneeling in front of a large roure (oak) in the hollow of which a Madonna is sheltered. This stained glass evokes a reason that this priory might have been constructed. Below is a re-telling of the legend.
The Legend
A ploughman cultivated his field bordered by an edge of old oak tree: Whenever the oxen arrived at the end of their furrow, close to the tree they knelt: astonished the ploughman excavated and in one of the hollows, found a statue of the Madonna. Overjoyed at the sight of this miraculous lucky find, he carried it to his village. But in the morning, the Madonna was back in the hollow of the oak. Several other villagers attempted to take it and it was again returned to its niche in the oak. It was decided that a sanctuary should be built in the shadow of miraculous oak. The statue remained within the Vault and so the chapel was named Notre Dame of Roure. (Our Lady of the Oak.)
Practical notes
At the tourist office, they say it is open from 4-5 in the summer, but it’s possible that might mean only July & August. There is a market on Monday mornings.
Below, the market in an old postcard.
