Ermitage Saint-Quinis à Camps-la-Source, Medieval hermitage in Camps-la-Source, France

The Saint-Quinis hermitage stands on a rocky peak with stone buildings, including a chapel and former monastery structures from different construction periods. The site spreads across multiple levels, combining older masonry with later additions that create a layered complex.

The original chapel was built in the 6th century, destroyed during the Wars of Religion, then reconstructed in 1634 with monastery additions in 1646. The reconstruction after destruction shows how the site remained important to the local community through different eras.

The relics of Saint Quinis, including the lower jaw obtained by Archbishop Louis de Bretel of Aix, are kept in the parish church of Camps-la-Source, not in the hermitage. The chapel instead holds numerous ex-voto offerings, regularly added by pilgrims, and a bust of the saint venerated locally as Quinis. The parish of Gonfaron honours him each February with a nine-day novena of nine Masses ending on 15 February, the anniversary of his death.

The hermitage sits at 636 metres on the wooded Saint-Quinis massif above Camps-la-Source, reached on foot; the old path from the village towards Besse-sur-Issole is marked by three oratories dedicated to the saint. The final stretch is rocky, so wear sturdy shoes. The chapel is kept by the association Ermitage de Saint-Quinis.

Three separate oratories dedicated to Saint Quinidius mark the pilgrimage path between Camps-la-Source and Besse-sur-Issole. These smaller chapels along the route historically served as rest stops for pilgrims during their journey.