Chapelle Sainte Suzanne
The Sainte-Suzanne priory stands in a peaceful setting in the eponymous hamlet 6 km from the center of Les Baux-de-Breteuil.
According to legend, the Blessed Virgin appeared to Christians in the spiritual desert of Sainte-Suzanne, asking them to found the place located a few kilometers from the center of Les Baux-de-Breteuil. Saint-Melain, bishop of Rennes, who died around 533, is said to have been the first founder of the Désert hermitage in the forest of Breteuil. It was also known as Notre-Dame-du-Lesme.
Later, a man named Hugues built a church there in 1125. The priory was home to a community of hermits in the early 12th century. The hermits of Le Désert, lacking a fixed rule, were unable to support themselves, and the priory became part of the Lyre abbey. Benedictine monks occupied the site until the 17th century, when it was sold as national property during the French Revolution. In 1794, the Levacher d?Urclé family purchased the chapel and priory from the French Republic, saving them from destruction. Restoration of the chapel was completed in 1865 by Paul-Louis Félix Levacher d?Urclé and his daughter Madame de Bonald, and a funerary mausoleum was created for family members.
Sainte Suzanne was honored at the prieuré du Désert because part of her relics are preserved there in a gilded shrine and an equally gilded arm. This is why it became known as the chapel or prieuré de Sainte-Suzanne. Pilgrims flocked here in droves until the 1960s.
The chapel became the property of the Houtart family in 1945. The Sainte-Suzanne Association was created in 2015 to restore and renovate the old buildings of this place steeped in history.
The chapel contains a remarkable collection of mosaics attributed to Charles Lameire. The Musée d’Orsay owns parts of this great composition.
The crypt served as a cellar and wine cellar for the monks. There is also a spring.
A bread oven was built in 1864 to supply a neighboring farm. It was restored in 2015.
Guided tours of the chapel and crypt are available all year round by appointment.
Opening / reception hours
Languages spoken
Services and equipment
Equipment
From 5 € / adult
