Ermitage Notre-Dame de Lorette de Port-Lesney

Port-Lesney

On a ridge, at the edge of a cliff, a chapel overlooks the meanders of the Loue, with no house around. This is the hermitage of Notre-Dame de Lorette, one of the many copies of the Italian sanctuary of Loreto. A hiking leaflet dates its foundation to 23 October 1634 and attributes it to a baron of Vaugrenant. Yet the Mérimée record dates the choir to the 15th century, from its capitals. These two dates do not agree, and we give them as they stand. According to the record, the nave and the living quarters probably come from an enlargement of the late 17th century. In the 19th century a school occupied the hermitage, then works took place from 1853 to 1857. The chapel has an arcaded bell gable, and a nave and choir with pointed barrel vaults. Paintings of 1947-1949 evoke the Virgin of Loreto. The façades and roofs have been inscribed as historic monuments since 27 May 2002.

French Ministry of Culture — Mérimée PA39000050 ↗

Getting there: Private property (Mérimée record). The site is seen at the end of paths in the Loue valley: a hiking loop of about 15 km starts from Port-Lesney and passes back through the car park of the chapelle de Lorette (D 48E2). Access to the interior is not confirmed: no opening times were found, so one must be content with the exterior and the panorama.

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

Ambient sound