The Holy Chapel

Here you can see the back of the Saint-Chapelle, which is one of the castle’s highlights. To see it from the front or to visit it, you will need to take a paid guided tour. The castle is currently not open to the public as it is the premise of the prefecture of Savoie. Let me tell you a few things about the Holy Chapel Even though you can only see the apse and the tower of the big carillion from here. Commissioned by the first duke, Amédée VIII, to replace the first chapel of the castle, which had become too small, it was built in Flamboyant Gothic style in the early 15th century. The beautiful baroque façade was rebuilt in 1641. Today, the Saint-Chapelle of the Castle of the Dukes of Savoy is best known for having housed the Holy Shroud from 1502 to 1578, before, it moved to Turin with its owners. This relic, considered one of the most important in Christianity, is the shroud marked with the blood of Christ. The cloth is said to have covered his body after his death. It was sold to the Dukes by the Charny family living near Troyes. It isn’t known exactly how the Holy Shroud arrived in Europe, but it ended up at the ducal chapel in Chambéry, which became a Holy Chapel and attracted pilgrims from around the world. In 1515, King Francis the 1st himself made the pilgrimage on foot from Lyon to see the relic and thank it for his victory at Marignan. In Turin, a baroque chapel is built next to the royal palace to house the relic which remains there. Owned by the House of Savoy, the Shroud remains in Turin but belongs, by testament to the Church, since the death of the last king of Italy. In 1988 with the advent of new technologies, it was decided to carbon date the fabric. Dated between 1260 and 1390 AD, chances are slim for it to be the original. But of course, this scientific experiment is hotly contested, and the Holy Shroud remains at the center of passionate debates that still give it a mysterious aura today. The Holy Chapel can only be entered with a guided tour, but you might have the chance to hear its famous carillon. A melody well-known to the people of Chambéry. With its 70 bells, it is the largest carillon in Europe. It rings at 11 a.m. on the first and third Saturday of the month, except during the summer where it rings every Saturday.