Chapelle San'Petru di Panicala, Religious chapel in Forciolo, France

Chapelle San'Petru di Panicala is a Romanesque chapel located in a small village in southern Corsica. The main nave has partly collapsed, but the semicircular apse with its original stonework remains standing and shows the medieval construction methods.

Built in the 13th century, toward the end of Pisan rule in Corsica, the chapel was the mother church of the Panicala region, serving the villages of Ampaza, Azilone, Forciolo and Zigliara. It was used until the 16th century, when parish churches were built in those villages and it fell into disuse. It was listed as a monument historique by an arrêté of 13 October 2009.

The name Panicala refers to the small region of four villages — Ampaza, Azilone, Forciolo and Zigliara — for which this was the mother church until the 16th century. Look for the carved heads, human or animal, set between the roof and the three balconies of the apse, beside a cross and a diamond.

The site is best reached on foot by hiking out from Forciolo into the surrounding hills. Visitors should bring sturdy shoes and water as the route crosses rough terrain and sometimes unmarked paths.

The roof is made of broad granite slabs, and beneath it runs a row of carved granite volutes. Between the roof and the three balconies of the apse are carved geometric forms, including a cross, a diamond and human or animal heads.