Our Lady of the Fountains, Romanesque chapel in La Brigue, France.
Notre-Dame-des-Fontaines is a stone and stucco chapel with a weathered grey-white facade, a round window in a carved surround, and a projecting porch on pale pinkish square pillars, closed by a tall iron grille gate. Inside, the barrel-vaulted ceiling and walls are covered in frescoes in ochre, red, green, and blue, with rows of figures and narrative scenes; a pointed arch frames the altar.
The chapel is first documented in a notarial act of 17 November 1375, which names two Benedictine monks as its administrators. Local tradition links its founding to Countess Eudoxie of Tende, who vowed a chapel after the springs of Briga dried up and flowed again. The frescoes by Giovanni Canavesio and Giovanni Baleison were completed on 12 October 1492. It was listed as a monument historique on 22 May 1951.
The interior contains an extensive 15th-century fresco cycle painted by Giovanni Canavesio depicting the Passion of Christ across 225 square meters, representing one of the most significant examples of religious art from that period in the Alpine region.
Visitors can access the chapel via local roads with parking facilities available nearby, and guided tours are offered by appointment to explore the medieval frescoes and learn about the site's religious and historical significance.
The seven intermittent springs beneath the chapel were believed by local communities to possess miraculous healing properties, with their water flow varying throughout the day according to ancient legends that attribute the phenomenon to divine intervention.
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