Imperial Chapel

The pretty chapel you see is the Imperial Chapel, which served as a place of worship for Napoleon III and Empress Eugénie. Empress Eugénie was very devout and regularly attended church, and henceforth wished to worship in a private chapel. Eugénie followed the advice of their friend Prospère Mérimée, and hired Emile Boeswillwald, an architect and disciple of Violet Le Duc, who had just completed the restoration of the Sainte-Chapelle. Built in 1865, right next to their summer residence, it is characterised by its skilful blend of architectural styles. A touch of Romanesque-Byzantine, but also Hispano-Moorish, reminiscent of the architecture of her hometown, the splendid city of Granada. The empress dedicated her chapel to Our Lady of Guadalupe, an iconic figure in Spain since the 16th century. This black Virgin, venerated in Mexico, appeared in 1531 in the eyes of a newly baptised indigenous man, prompting large-scale pilgrimages and the construction of a huge basilica in Mexico City. During this period, the Empress also prayed to the Blessed Virgin to give her a child, and when her son Louis Napoleon was born, she had the three intertwined letters N-E-L engraved on the columns of the nave. The chapel was listed as a historic monument in 1981. The Chapel is closed in winter and open only on Thursdays and Saturdays in summer. You will have to book a paid guided tour to explore it in greater depth.