Chapel of Sainte-Marie-des-Chazes, Romanesque chapel in Saint-Julien-des-Chazes, France

The Chapel of Sainte-Marie-des-Chazes is a Romanesque chapel built of tan and grey masonry, with a rectangular body under a steep dark grey roof and a square bell tower topped by a pointed stone spire. Inside, a single barrel-vaulted nave of light grey stone leads to an altar with a white cloth and dark wooden frontal, lit by a narrow round-arched window.

The chapel served as the church of a priory dependent on the Benedictine Abbey of Saint-Pierre-des-Chazes. Its foundation date is unknown, and the building is variously attributed to the 12th and 13th centuries. After the Revolution it was secularised and used as an agricultural shed, then ceded to the commune of Chazes on 19 May 1865. Classified as a monument historique in 1862, it was consolidated in 1865-1866; in 1904 a violent storm brought down the porch, bell tower and gallery, and the rest was rebuilt under the Fine Arts administration.

The chapel keeps a 12th-century polychrome wooden Virgin in majesty, now classified and moved to the parish church of Saint-Julien-des-Chazes. Its wall paintings were lost in a partial collapse in 1905 but survive through reproductions. The building was long used as an agricultural shed after the Revolution.

The building is located at Le Bourg and remains free to visit throughout the year with open access. Given its position in the river valley floor, the terrain can be damp after rain, so appropriate footwear is advisable for comfortable exploration.

The chapel kept a 12th-century polychrome wooden Virgin in Majesty, now classified and moved to the parish church of Saint-Julien-des-Chazes. Its wall paintings vanished in a partial collapse in 1905 but survive through reproductions. The porch, bell tower and gallery fell in a violent storm in 1904, and the building was rebuilt under the Fine Arts administration.