Chapelle de pénitents noirs Sainte-Julienne de Forville

English translation

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History

The date of foundation is unknown but the chapel is attested in a will of 1647. Georges Gallice, master locksmith of Forville and member of the confraternity bequeaths to the chapel the sufficient sum for the wages of the master masons who will work on making the vault with four panels above the altar and choir of the said chapel. Twenty years later in 1687, the archbishop forbade access to the chapel until it be repaired given that it threatens evident ruin. This ordinance provided for a contribution from each house in the village and each inhabitant, as well as days of corvée labour for the reconstruction of the chapel. The inhabitants of Forville set about it quickly since a contract and its receipt dated 1688 confirm the complete reconstruction of the chapel by the master mason of the city Pierre Esquinabo and Jacques and Jean Anisot, masons of Val d'Aoste. In 1689, the new chapel was consecrated. The confraternity of Forville renewed its statutes in 1786 (account book). It then numbered 17 members whose activities were focused essentially on the funeral service of the inhabitants of the hamlet and the maintenance of the chapel. A contract dated 1776 provided for the repair of the roof and the larch roof structure of the sanctuary. This detail may suggest that the single roof in its current state is not in its original configuration. In 1819, the roof covering is replaced by a slate roof. The dating of successive works is made possible by two chronograms: 1749 on the lock of the entrance door and 1801 on the roof structure of the eaves. A sundial (repainted in the 19th century) adorns the right part of the west gable. The presence of a sundial is linked to an episcopal requirement. The archbishop of Embrun orders in 1677 that each parish church must have, to regulate the services, a clock or at the very least a sundial. This confirms that the chapel also served as a parish church owing to the distance of the hamlet from the city. 1798: whitewashing of the vault. 1799: whitewashing of the gallery. 1819: floor paved with stone then changed to a larch floor in 1855 (currently concrete). The chapel of Forville houses the last confraternity that still exists in the commune under the name of the confraternity of Saint Etienne, attested since 1877. The denomination of black penitents completely disappears from the account books in 1895.

Description

The chapel is isolated, as is frequent in rural settings. The 1841 cadastre indicates that it belonged to the commune at that date. The chapel of rectangular plan opens onto a clear space. Its gable forming the main façade is protected from the elements by an eaves. It is surmounted by a small bell tower with stone arcade which houses a single bell. The south lateral façade presents superimposed openings allowing simultaneous lighting of the lower part of the nave and the gallery; at these levels the openings have been enlarged. The lower openings have retained old joinery. The north gable wall is blank. It is backed against a mass of masonry which houses a straight staircase added in 1825 to serve the gallery.