Chapelle de la Croix-au-Bost

English translation

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History

Former commandery of the Order of Malta. Near the church stood a round tower with machicolations serving as a dwelling for the commander, and larger buildings which may have burned in 1911. The chapel underwent significant alterations in the second half of the 18th century. A portico of Limousin type, dating from the 14th century, opens onto the west gable. Inside, 18th-century woodwork frames the altar and tabernacle. The painted decoration is probably contemporary with the construction. It presents part of the apostolic college. On the walls are depicted the apostles with haloes, facing front, full-length, wearing a kind of fabric painted with a cross inscribed in a circle, and surrounded by decorative motifs. They are identifiable either by a personal attribute or by an inscription naming them. The lower north and south sections of the vault reveal a wide band composed of vignettes showing the apostles in bust, crowned, and holding a musical instrument. These are probably the apostle-kings called to judge the twelve tribes of Israel. Beside them are historiated scenes that are difficult to read. A wide frieze with vegetative and geometric motifs separates the scenes depicted on the walls from those on the vault.