The Chapelle Saint Blaise-des-simples de Milly-la-Forêt, France.
Photo from Wikipedia.
Where is it? What is it? Is it worth a visit?
Answers
Jean Cocteau (1889-1963), like me, was a writer, poet and artist. He lived in the south of France in the city with a small chapel. The chapel, called Chapelle Saint Blaise-des-Simples, was originally built in the 12th century alongside a leper colony, long since gone, but the chapel survived.
The Meaning of the Name
The chapel was named after Saint Blaisé, who bestowed good health. The word simple comes from the simple, or unmixed herbs, grown in the garden and used by monks to treat illness. (Remember the saying, let food be thy medicine.)
La Forêt is French for the forest. The circumflex or little hat symbol over the e usually indicates the missing or former s sound, as in the English word forest.
The Inside
In 1959 the chapel was restored. Local resident, Jean Cocteau, painted the interior with designs showing Jesus, the resurrection, symbolised by a cat, and the plants used to restore health. So we have the resurrection and restoration of the chapel, the restoring plants healing the body, and, if you are a believer, the resurrection to come - that of Jesus in the past, plus the promised resurrection of yourself and your loved ones after you and they have died.
Jean Cocteau also designed the windows.
The windows Jean Cocteau designed can be glimpsed from outside. What if you arrive after the place has closed? Anything to see from outside? I think the grounds are lovely.
And it is illuminated at night, sometimes or always - I am not sure - one can never be sure of these things, since the situation may change, and it may depend on the time of year and when dusk occurs.
Illuminated Outside
Inside
Their websites are quite comprehensive. could not find a link which converts into French. So I read both the English and French Wikipedia and the local chapel and city websites and everything else I could find in English and French and spent several hours translating.
« ma ville est un jardin »
Where Next?
Sculpture of Jean Cocteau, France.
Your Jean Cocteau Trail:
1 Jean Cocteau Museum, Menton, France
2 Jean Cocteau Bust Sculpture, Villefranche-sur-mer, France
3 Jean Cocteau grave and artworks in Chapel.
The Chapelle Saint Blaise-des-simples de Milly-la-Forêt, France.
https://wikitravel.org/en/Menton
http://uk.france.fr
https://www.tourisme-menton.fr/-Menton-French-Riviera-.html?lang=en
https://www.ryanair.com/gb/en/
https://www.easyjet.com/en/
https://fr.wikipedia.org/wiki/Villefranche-sur-Mer
https://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/Jean_Cocteau#/media/File:Jean_Cocteau
https://www.museecocteaumenton.fr/La-Donation-Wunderman.html
https://www.findagrave.com/cgi-bin/fg.cgi?page=gr&GRid=6629 Cocteau's grave, portraits, biography.
Author
Travel writer and photographer, author and speaker. Author of Quick Quotations for Authors and Speakers. Who Said What When (quotations for every day of the year, featuring people who were born or died on that day or on that day did something remarkable.
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