Our Lady of the Fountain Church

La Brigue, France

Our Lady of the Fountain (Notre-Dame des Fontaines) is a Roman Catholic shrine located four kilometers (2.5 miles) from La Brigue, France, very close to the Italian border. The name derives from seven local springs that emerge from the rocks. It is one of the main tourist destinations in La Brigue, receiving up to 12,000 tourists per year.

The shrine is noted for a huge 15th-century fresco painting, depicting the cycle of Passion of Christ by Giovanni Canavesio. Some of the outstanding frescoes of the chapel have been reproduced in the Musée national des Monuments Français in Paris.

The church itself dates back to the 12th century, being enlarged in the 1490s. As is the case with other river sources in Liguria, this was a sacred site long before Christianity established itself in the region; Roman coins and other votive offerings have been found in the vicinity.

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Address

D143, La Brigue, France
See all sites in La Brigue

Details

Founded: 12th century
Category: Religious sites in France
Historical period: Birth of Capetian dynasty (France)

More Information

en.wikipedia.org

Rating

4.7/5 (based on Google user reviews)

User Reviews

Dima Baranetskyi (7 months ago)
very spiritual place
Sergey Ishkhanov (3 years ago)
Unique chapel, an art masterpiece in the French/Italian mountings
Patrick Gmelch (6 years ago)
Chapelle was closed but it's still worth a visit. Go for a hike in the area, it's lovely
Orlando Harrison (6 years ago)
Fabulous hidden gem.
marko proust (6 years ago)
I did a detour from the walking trail to come here but there was an entrance fee to enter the museum. In my opinion a church should be free to enter else it has stopped serving its original purpose and become a museum.
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