Fontaine et chapelle Sainte-Anne de Moutiers (Bullion)

Bullion (hameau des Moutiers)

In the hamlet of Les Moutiers, at Bullion, a spring flows near the chapelle Sainte-Anne. It was arranged as a fountain and wash-house in the 19th century. An old opinion calls it ‘druidic’, then christianised by a priory set up very close by: this is attested in 1262, and its oldest part may go back to 1060. This is, however, a hypothesis, not a proven fact. According to tradition, the water cured women's sterility and protected the harvests. Pilgrims threw a coin in while making a wish. The chapel was rebuilt between 1555 and 1585. Each year a ceremony is held there and then a procession goes to the fountain; the festival takes place on the last Sunday of July, with a service, a meal and games. A bronze sculpture by Nicolas Alquin was installed there on 26 July 1998. The authors who report these cures recall that none of these waters has a proven medical effect: these tales belong to oral tradition.

Getting there: Free, in the open air and all year, beside the chapelle Sainte-Anne-Sainte-Scariberge, at the hamlet of Les Moutiers (Bullion), in the Parc naturel régional de la Haute Vallée de Chevreuse; two waymarked paths lead there. Annual festival on the last Sunday of July. Coordinates: lavoir de Sainte-Anne in OpenStreetMap (approximate for the spring itself).

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

Ambient sound