Saint-Roch Chapel | Charm of Provence & French Riviera

The little Chapel of Saint-Roch

This chapel was built in the 17th century and gave its name to the whole neighbourhood, which was known as La Gardiole before then.

In the choir, there’s an altar made from basalt (volcanic rock) and a base made from a roller that was once used for threshing.

Situated on one of the main roads to the village, this chapel is dedicated to Saint-Roch, who was evoked for the protection against contagious illnesses like the plague. Inside, paintings on the wall depict the saint’s life.

©Chapelle Saint Roch Grimaud Var 11|Grimaud Tourisme

Wall paintings

First of all, it should be noted that it has always been an issue identifying the artist(s) behind the paintings. The signature is no longer visible, and historians and locals from Grimaud tried to identify the artist(s) but none of them succeeded.
In the end it was a local from La Rochelle who helped shed some light on the topic when he was conducting research to write a biography of a couple, and discovered that the wife was actually one of the mysterious artists behind the paintings in the Chapel of Saint-Roch.

It wasn’t until 2012 that it was discovered that Andrée Chevrillon, née Gavens, created these paintings in 1937.

It was while applying for a scholarship at Casa Velazquez (Madrid) that the artist mentioned that she had decorated a chapel in Grimaud. Thanks to this local from La Rochelle, the Culture and Heritage department was able to obtain the first and last name of the author of these paintings.

©Chapelle Saint Roch Grimaud Var 13|Cyril Carpentier

In 2021, the wall paintings in the Chapel of Saint-Roch were restored.

Restoring to preserve

Sandrine Lorenzo and her team of period decoration specialists have managed to revive the colours, the faces of the characters and, above all, safeguard this heritage, which is so dear to the people of Grimaud.

Thanks to their work, the signature of artist Andrée Gavens has been revealed, confirming the claims of this local resident of La Rochelle.

Origins of Grimaud

Who was Andrée Gavens?

Andrée Chevrillon (born Gavens), was born in Grigny (Rhône) in 1909. She spent part of her life in Lyon, where she attended the École des Beaux-Arts, then joined an artistic movement called ‘Les Nouveaux’.

She worked under the supervision of André Dunoyer de Segonsac. Bearing in mind that the latter lived in Saint-Tropez, and was behind numerous artworks all over the Gulf, including Grimaud, his student could well have done these paintings in the Chapel of Saint-Roch.

She also painted in Avon, in the chapel of the Collège des Carmes, in a chapel near Barcelona (still unidentified to this day), in the parish church of Saix (Vienne) she painted the life of Sainte-Radegonde and in Port Blanc, she also created a painted decoration.
She specialised in the study of Catalan wall paintings.

Chapelle Saint Roch Grimaud Var (2) — ©Grimaud Tourisme

©Chapelle Saint Roch Grimaud Var 12|Grimaud Tourisme

Advice for making

the most of your stay

Mapof village

At the Tourist Information Office, you can obtain a map of the village, which indicates the places of interest, such as the Saint-Roch chapel.

Walkin the village

Make the most of your trip to the Saint-Roch chapel by visiting the village. You will need around an hour and a half to take in the village, with its narrow streets and historic landmarks.

Visitof the chapel

The chapel is closed, but you can see inside through the glass door.