Chapelle Notre-Dame des Anges, Religious sanctuary in Pignans, France

Chapelle Notre-Dame des Anges is a chapel set on a forested ridge in the Maures hills, above the village of Pignans in the Var department of southern France. It has a single nave and a small porch, with a wooden statue of the Virgin Mary as the main feature of the interior.

A first structure is said to have been built on this spot in the early 6th century, linked to the early Christian communities of Provence. The building was reshaped over the following centuries and served at different periods as part of a convent before becoming a pilgrimage destination.

The pilgrimage here is traditionally said to cure laziness, a belief that has drawn visitors for centuries. Inside, a walnut statue of the Virgin is the object of devotion, and among the ex-votos hangs a crocodile offered by the explorer Jules Gérard, suspended from the ceiling. Since 2001 a small community of Franciscan Brothers of the Immaculate has lived at the sanctuary.

The sanctuary sits at 780 m between Pignans and Gonfaron, with the chapel and cloister on the ridge. Marked trails from Pignans pass through pine and cork oak forest; the climb is steady but manageable for most walkers. The path can be slippery after rain, so wear sturdy shoes. A radio and television relay antenna stands just behind the chapel.

A dried crocodile hangs from the ceiling inside the chapel, left there in the 19th century by a traveler returning from Africa. Such animal offerings were rare in Provençal shrines, making this one of the few places in the region where this kind of object can still be seen in place.