Ermitage de Saint-Rouin

Beaulieu-en-Argonne

At the bottom of a wooded dell in the Argonne, a spring feeds a pond. An avenue lined with tall trees leads to an altarpiece from the abbey of Beaulieu, set in the open air. According to the official record of the listed site, Saint Rouin, monk and founder of the abbey of Beaulieu, retired there in the 7th century and lived there his last five years. This is what tradition says: no ancient text has been read here to support it. A 17th-century oratory marked the place before the present chapel. The latter was built from 1954 to 1961 and consecrated on 22 May 1961. Its architect was Father Rayssiguier, a Dominican and, according to the Mérimée record, a disciple of Le Corbusier. The building is a cube of raw concrete, set on stilts, surmounted by an aluminium cross of 7 metres. Its stained glass of 1959 follows designs by Kimié Bando. The site has been listed since 1936, and the chapel has been protected as a historic monument since 1998.

French Ministry of Culture, Mérimée database — Ermitage de Saint-Rouin, puis chapelle de pèlerinage ↗

Getting there: In the vallon de Saint-Rouin, in the state forest of Beaulieu-en-Argonne, by the Tranchée de Saint-Rouin (address taken from OpenStreetMap). The site is open, with a spring, a pond and a pilgrims' shelter. The interior of the chapel belongs to a Catholic association: the opening times have not been verified.

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

Ambient sound