Chapelle des Pétètes

Saint-Bonnet-en-Champsaur (Bénévent-et-Charbillac)

In the hamlet of L'Aubérie, on the hedged plateau overlooking the Drac, stands one of the most endearing works of folk art in the southern Alps. Around 1740, Jacques Pascal, at once mason, carpenter and sculptor, built this chapel dedicated to Saint Gregory and hollowed its facade with niches in which he set naive statuettes: "pétètes", meaning "dolls" in the Champsaur dialect. Rustic saints with round faces, brightly coloured busts: a little people of stone stands guard above the door, unique of its kind in the region. Local tradition adds a whiff of romance: Jacques Pascal is said to have raised his chapel to win a woman's heart, turning a work of devotion into a declaration of love — the story does not say whether it had the desired effect, but it earned the mason a posterity many a suitor would envy him. Restored and well kept, the chapel has become the discreet emblem of the Champsaur: people come to photograph the facade in the morning sun, when the light picks out the silhouettes of the pétètes against the pale render, with the summits of the Vieux Chaillol as a backdrop. The visit combines readily with the irrigation channels and hedgerows of the nearby Champsaur bocage, or with the old town of Saint-Bonnet. A tiny place, but one that tells better than many a monument of the faith, the mischief and the talent of the mountain folk of the 18th century.

Getting there : Hamlet of L'Aubérie, in the former commune of Bénévent-et-Charbillac, now part of Saint-Bonnet-en-Champsaur. GPS coordinates from the Champsaur-Valgaudemar tourist office. Free access all year round, by the roadside; the exterior can always be seen.

Opening times and access details are given as a guide only: check before you set out.

Ambient sound