Chapelle Notre-Dame-du-Château d'Allauch, chapel located in Bouches-du-Rhône, in France
Chapelle Notre-Dame-du-Chateau d'Allauch is a small chapel situated on a hilltop in a Provencal village. It stands where a medieval fortress once stood, with remains including a fortified gate, a square tower, and wall ruins visible along a stone path that winds through pine forest.
The chapel has roots reaching back to the 12th century, when monks from Marseille built a fortress on this hilltop between 1141 and 1148. By the late 15th century, settlement had shifted to the valley below, and in 1595 the fortress was destroyed by the people of Marseille during the Wars of Religion.
The chapel serves as the center of several traditional celebrations that shape village life. The Octave festival in September brings the community together through processions and masses that have been passed down through generations.
Access to the chapel is via a stone path climbing through pine forest with a moderate grade. It opens on Sundays and holidays from 2 to 6 p.m., extending to 7 p.m. in July and August, and daily during the Octave week in September.
A local custom has grown around a niche beneath the fortress gate, where a statue of the Virgin Mary once stood. Based on an old story about a girl named Janeton who threw stones at the statue, visitors today place stones to count the years before their wedding.
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