Chapel of Mercy, Monaco-Ville, Baroque chapel in Monaco City, Monaco
The Chapel of Mercy stands on Rue Basse in Monaco-Ville, built in 1639 at the height of the Baroque period. Its facade carries a 1909 ceramic by Ernesto Sprega showing the Virgin surrounded by Black Penitents, with the head of John the Baptist below. Inside are polychrome marble altars, gilded and marbled surfaces, 1953 frescoes of the Assumption, and a wooden Christ carved by François-Joseph Bosio.
The first stone was blessed in 1639 under Prince Honoré II, who served as prior of the Brotherhood of the Black Penitents. In October 1813 the Black Penitents merged with the White Penitents into a single Confrérie de la Miséricorde, which holds the chapel. It was deconsecrated from 1793 to 1824, and after major restoration Cardinal Dominik Duka, Archbishop of Prague, blessed it on 30 October 2012 in the presence of Prince Albert II.
The chapel is the starting point of the Christ-Mort procession held on Good Friday, a tradition four centuries old that was suppressed in 1870 and revived in recent years. In October 1813 the Black Penitents merged with the White Penitents to form the single Confrérie de la Miséricorde, which still holds the chapel.
The building sits within Monaco City's narrow streets and is reachable on foot. Visitors should allow time to navigate through the historic street network surrounding it.
The chapel holds a relic of Saint Devota in a reliquary. On 30 October 2012, Cardinal Dominik Duka, Archbishop of Prague, blessed the chapel after major restoration work, in the presence of Prince Albert II.
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