Chapelle de la Madelène

Bédoin

At the bottom of the Combe Obscure, three kilometres north-west of the village, the chapel known locally as la Madelène has not always borne that name. It was first Saint-Pierre de Monestrol, a Benedictine priory dependent on the great abbey of Montmajour, and its nave belongs to the First Romanesque of Provence: small-stone masonry, almost no decoration, barrel vault — the second quarter of the 11th century. The bell tower, later, opens paired windows in the 12th century. The dedication to Mary of Magdala came to it only in 1502, by a bull of Alexander VI uniting the priory to the cathedral of Carpentras: the change was administrative at first, but it was enough to fix here, at the foot of Mont Ventoux, a link in the Provençal cult of the saint. Listed as a historic monument on 18 August 1947, the chapel was restored in 1860, then in 1953, and worship resumed there in 1971. It remains private property. Every 22 July, the saint's feast day, a pilgrimage still climbs up to it, with processions in Comtadin costume — a continuing local devotion, with no documented link to the legend of Mary Magdalene's arrival in Provence, but one that extends its geography.

Getting there : At the bottom of the Combe Obscure, about 3 km north-west of Bédoin, below the D19 (road to Malaucène). Private property: the interior can only be visited with the Bédoin tourist office, and during the pilgrimage of 22 July. The surroundings are accessible on foot.

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

Ambient sound