La Chapelle de la Nartelle

The Sainte-Jeanne-de-Chantal chapel forms an ensemble with the independent sandstone staircase, which bridges the difference in level between Avenue Mireille and the median strip on which it is built.

A small oratory is built into the retaining wall, in sandstone like the six rows of rounded steps to the west, allowing the site to be used as a summer chapel.

The chapel itself is built of concrete. The rendering makes it impossible to tell whether it is reinforced concrete or concrete blocks. The roof is made of hollow tiles. The interior consists of a rectangular, transverse nave with a low barrel vault and a long-sloped roof. The nave is preceded by a vaulted vestibule with a shed roof resting on the gable wall.

Inside, two unplastered sandstone rubble pillars support the lintel supporting the gable. To the west, the apse
The semi-circular apse is vaulted with a depressed cul-de-four, covered by a polygonal hipped roof. The choir is separated from the
from the outside only by glass closures that can be folded back to create a link with the tiers of the summer chapel.
summer chapel.

The movable walls are supported by two matching stone pillars. The altar is in ashlar. The bell tower occupies a square structure built against the south facade. The ground floor, accessible from the nave, houses the sacristy. It is covered by a flat roof topped by a wrought-iron bell tower.

Testimony of Xavier LALEY :

Xavier Laley is 17 years old. On 15 August, he was sleeping with his mother, Marthe, in their villa on the Domaine de la Nartelle. Suddenly, bolts of lightning ripped through the sky. Shells rained down. They get out. Another shell. Everything collapses. They are buried alive.

‘Lying on the beach with my mother, we watched the whole of the landings.
landing. Despite our suffering, which was eased by regular injections, we witnessed a fascinating, unforgettable, unbelievable spectacle. The sea was covered with boats, barges were laid out on which men, tanks and equipment were unloaded. We were at the centre of the action. We were in the middle of the soldiers coming and going. It all seemed to be regulated with infinite precision. Airships floated in the sky to prevent air attacks.

It was at the instigation of Marthe Laley and her husband that the chapel at La Nartelle, a veritable ex-voto, was built as a sign of thanks.