Holy Sepulchre Chapel, Nice, Alpes-Maritimes, Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur, France, Europe

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• published: 11 Dec 2012
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The Holy Sepulchre chapel or the Most Holy Sepulchre or blue penitents Nice was built by architect Antoine Spinelli on Piazza Garibaldi, from 1782 to 1784. It belongs to the Venerable Brotherhood of Blue Penitents of the Holy Sepulchre . The facade is late style both neoclassical and baroque to the top. The balcony was added in 1841. The Chapel of the Holy Sepulchre was designed in 1782 by architect Antoine Spinelli along the whole place is inspired by the Piedmontese town planning from the same era. It was built in two years by entrepreneur André Laurenti. The chapel is not severable from the urban environment, in addition to its status as a place of worship, it was his responsibility to give solemnity to the place that became, at the end of the eighteenth century, an architectural vestibule of the City Nice. The chapel is the subject of a classification as historical monuments since 19 May 2000. The front of the Holy Sepulchre Chapel is on three registers. At the arcades around Piazza Garibaldi, the chapel (which is on the first floor) has three towering pillars protruding from the general alignment. We can see on these pillars apparent size of stones that are remnants of the old chapel of Our Lady of Sincaire reused in the building. At the top of each arch, center, three cannonballs that were fired by the Turkish fleet at the siege of Nice in 1543, were hung. The second register is white limestone balcony, the railing wrought iron gate in the center of the crown royal dukes of Savoy (sovereign Nice until 1860 and priors of honor of the Holy Sepulchre Company) overcoming the figure of Victor Emmanuel. This balcony, in fact, was commissioned by the Piedmont rulers in the 1840s (the railing was remade in 1859), he served as their public forum when they came into the city of Nice, which then belonged to their kingdom. Three large openings are separated by Corinthian pilasters supporting the pediment which is the third register. In the center of the pediment was formerly dedicated the chapel at Our Lady of the Assumption and a cross of the Holy Sepulchre (now erased). From both sides, fire pots form a baroque type of decoration on a largely inspired by the Turin neoclassical facade. In the background is the triangular tower, specific places of worship of the brotherhoods of penitents. The door of the chapel is framed by two items related to the history of the Brotherhood and its chapel on the right, the consecration plate of the Notre-Dame du Sincaire that chronicles the events of the siege of 1543 and made the vow by municipal authorities placed the city, attacked by the Turks and the French, under the protection of the Virgin Mary; left, a sixteenth-century marble purse which was used to collect offerings for the Custody of the Holy Land, it is a pain Christ rising from the tomb. The hall was once decorated with murals on the theme of the Holy Cross. The first chapel of the Holy Sepulchre of the Company was in effect in the Franciscan convent of the Holy Cross destroyed during 1553. Headquarters entry paintings also put forward the arms of the city of Nice, because the chapel enjoyed the status of municipal chapel and the Dukes of Savoy, fees priors of the Archconfraternity. The hallway leads to a double staircase which provides access to the chapel. The worship hall of the chapel contains the ternary rhythm of the façade. The first bay, just behind the windows, was a municipal lodge until 1860. The bench today is the prior, is the former municipal banca attended by the consuls of the city of Nice who received here, every August 15, the grievances of the population. The crown of the Dukes of Savoy and the arms of the city of Nice in gilded wood surmounting the bench, they were stolen a few years ago. The paintings that adorn this span represent moments of the life of Christ: St. Thomas touching the wounds of the Lord, the Ascension, the miraculous catch, the Resurrection, etc. These paintings adorned the previous chapel blue penitents who was near the current Nice courthouse and had been offered by the priors of the brotherhood. On the side walls were filed the original lapidary elements that frame the front door of the chapel. The second span has two altars dedicated to St. Sebastian and Our Lady of the Assumption. These altars replace two ancient Nice chapels of St. Sebastian and Our Lady of Sincaire destroyed to build up in the eighteenth century. One can observe a processional group of the Assumption giltwood nineteenth century (historical monument), and a statue of Saint Sebastian wooden fifteenth century. The banner of the brotherhood shows the cross of the Holy Sepulchre of Jerusalem on one side and, on the other side, it reproduces the standard of Amadeus VI, Count of Savoy, blue studded with golden stars with an image of the Virgin Mary, under which the "Green Count" led the crusade against the Turks at Gallipoli and Propontis in 1366-1367.