PATRIMONY

White Penitents' Chapel decorated by Folon

Exploring places of worship will take you to the Chapelle des Pénitents. Its amazing three-sided bell-tower, dating from the 17th century, adds a harmonious finishing touch to the highest point in the village - between the Place de l'Eglise and Rue Cassette. Folon dreamt up a huge decorative project for the 17th-century Chapelle des Pénitents Blancs. He worked on the project to decorate the chapel until his death in October 2005. His work was clearly inspired by the spirit of the premises, which he captured in detail in sketches and watercolours (these documents are exhibited in Saint-Paul’s museum). The project, entrusted to a handful of craftsmen in 2006, comprises 1 mosaic, 4 stained glass windows, 8 canvasses, 2 sculptures, and relaying the floor with white marble pebbles. Before any artistic work could commence, 3 years were spent repairing the roof, the interior vaults, the electricity and the heating.

You are welcome to download the Guide to Folon tour.

THE COLLEGIAL CHURCH

Located at the highest point of the village, the Collegial Church is dominated by its square bell-tower, reconstructed in 1740. Oriented to greet the sun as it rises and salute it as it sets - like most medieval religious buildings - it was originally designed in the style of a basilica, with a semi-circular apse and a single nave. The chevet and the arched beams in the main nave date from the beginning of the 14th century. The entrance opens onto a string of four chapels: St Clement (a masterpiece of baroque art), St Mathew, the chapel of Mary of the Rosary, and the chapel of the Souls in Purgatory, whose alter bears the date 1677. The church's treasures include precious items of silverware, reliquaries and a parchment dating from 1588.

The dungeon

This symbol of days gone by is the only part of a long-since vanished castle. Since the 18th century it has housed the Town Hall. Unlike other examples, notably in La Penne where the tower is on a small scale, this dungeon is roomy, divided into three spacious stories. The dungeon seems to have suffered some major upheavals judging from the building techniques and the use of stone, typical of the 12th and 18th centuries. At the top hangs a bell founded in 1443. It bears the inscription: "Hora est jam de sommo suggere". This roughly translates as: the hours invite us to dream right now

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