The remnants of a chapel that time forgot - Chapelle Saint-Martin de

The chapel of Saint-Martin is a Romanesque chapel in ruins situated in Saint-Victor-la-Coste, in the French department of Gard, in the region of Occitanie. To reach it, follow an ancient road that likely led to a Roman temple and covers the possible origins of the site. The chapel, built in the 11th and 12th centuries, was initially erected in the heart of a bustling marketplace. However, the market was relocated in 1223 under King Louis VIII’s order, abandoning the chapel to pilgrims and time.

Despite this, the chapel still stands today, albeit in ruins. Its three absidioles, each with a cul-de-four vault, sit at the heart of a plain, near a source and a lavoir, northwest of Saint-Victor-la-Coste. The chapel is classified as a historic monument since 1980, and today its ruins belong to the commune. Each absidiole is made of walls with masonry and a cul-de-four vault, the arches of which rest on sculpted chapitels. The chapel itself has a cul-de-four vault supported by a cornice moulded and decorated with tooth-like designs.

There are vestiges of the colonnettes engaged and chapitels supporting the arc triomphal, and some bases of columns are still present.

Sources: Wikipedia, OpenStreetMap, Wikidata, Wikimedia Commons