Fontaine et chapelle Sainte-Julie de Nonza

Nonza

At the foot of the village of Nonza, in Cap Corse, a small white chapel shelters two trickles of water. This is the place where, according to tradition, Saint Julia, patron saint of Corsica, died. According to Corse Net Infos, she was a young Christian, a slave in the version judged most probable, who refused to renounce her faith and to take part in pagan rites. She is said to have been tied to a fig tree, her breasts cut off, then crucified. Two springs are said to have gushed forth where her breasts fell, and a dove to have escaped from her mouth. The accounts differ: Routard speaks of a young Carthaginian martyred in the 5th century; Corse Net Infos gives the traditional date of 303; an Italian blog evokes persecutions under Decius or Diocletian and a hot spring, which the other sources do not say. Her story appears in only a few texts, including the Golden Legend, plus an oral tradition. Her relics are divided between Nonza, Livorno and Brescia. The pilgrimage, which would go back to the 5th century according to Corse Net Infos, still takes place on 22 May. The chapel is said to have been built on a sanctuary of the early Christians, with no proof given.

Getting there: Free. One goes down by a staircase of 54 steps under the D 80 road, at the foot of the village of Nonza. On 22 May a procession leaves the village church with the relics and goes down to the chapel. Coordinates: chapelle Sainte-Julie in OpenStreetMap.

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

Ambient sound