The Chapel of the Oblates is located on the Place Forbin, at the top of the Cours Mirabeau. The chapel was built on a former convent for the Carmelites, a Roman Catholic order, built in 1625. The new chapel building was designed by Thomas Veyrier and constructed from 1695 to 1701. The facade was designed by Laurent Vallon in 1697.
It continued to serve as a convent for the Carmelites until the French Revolution of 1789. Shortly after, Saint Eugène de Mazenod (1782-1861), the founder of the Missionary Oblates of Mary Immaculate, a Roman Catholic order, purchased it and used it to train young priests and re-evangelize peasants throughout Provence. Inside the church, there is a sculpture of Saint Mazenod.
It serves as the international home of the Missionary Oblates of Mary Immaculate. It is served by four priests and one brother.
References:Visby Cathedral (also known as St. Mary’s Church) is the only survived medieval church in Visby. It was originally built for German merchants and inaugurated in 1225. Around the year 1350 the church was enlarged and converted into a basilica. The two-storey magazine was also added then above the nave as a warehouse for merchants.
Following the Reformation, the church was transformed into a parish church for the town of Visby. All other churches were abandoned. Shortly after the Reformation, in 1572, Gotland was made into its own Diocese, and the church designated its cathedral.
There is not much left of the original interior. The font is made of local red marble in the 13th century. The pulpit was made in Lübeck in 1684. There are 400 graves under the church floor.