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Honfleur's Ancient Chapel of the Sea, FranceFrench Canadian Links to a Pilgrim Church in Normandy© Ja Woolf 
Above the French coastal town of Honfleur, on the edge of the Calvados region of Normandy, stands a fascinating chapel with links to Canada, pilgrims and the sea.
Nearly a millennium old, the chapel of Notre Dame de Grace is also strongly associated with St. Therese of the Infant Jesus and St. Denis de la Nativite, and it has been been visited by many celebrated people - not least Napoleon Bonaparte himself. A Forest SettingIt is grandly situated on top of a 90 metre cliff, from which panoramic views take in not only the town of Honfleur but also Le Havre and a wide sweep of the Seine Valley. It is surrounded by a forest of huge trees that were originally planted in the 17th century: a setting which gives it a picturesque and, at certain times of year, almost magical air. Next to the church on the grass stands a large wooden framework from which is hung a carillon of twenty three bells. These were erected quite recently, and each bell was decorated by a different artist. A Prince's VowEven though the setting and the exterior are both charming and unusual, the chapel’s most striking features are inside. Several colourful stained glass windows tell its story, describing how Richard II, the Duke of Normandy, was caught in a storm at sea, and vowed to God that if he survived, he would build a chapel. Notre Dame de Grace is the result, and ever since then, it has been a place of pilgrimage and hope for those who travel by sea. Shipwrecks.Many travellers have, like Richard II, prayed for deliverance while fighting for their lives in storms, and the walls of the church are covered in white marble votive plaques offering thanks for help received. . From the eighteenth century onwards, sailors gave models and paintings of ships – mostly sailing ships - which are hung in the church too. Many of them show actual shipwrecks with the Virgin blessing the sailors from the sky. . Canadian LinksThe chapel has many links to Canada. Newfoundland fishermen have been visitors to Honfleur for centuries, and many emigrants have set off from Honfleur to Canada, too. Many have prayed at the church beforehand, and a marble plaque entitled “Notre Dame de Grace Et Le Canada” lists the names of many early travellers and the names of their ships. So widely did the fame of the chapel spread, that at the end of the 17th century, a crew of 30 Canadians survived a shipwreck off the coast of Plymouth and made a pilgrimage across to France to give thanks. And Saint Anne, the patron saint of Canada, was the patron saint of the local cloth weavers of Normandy who emigrated to Canada. Accordingly, the saint is commemorated every year at the church. The links have been maintained: more recently, the Federation Normandie-Canada donated a casket containing soil collected from the graves of Canadians who were killed in the Normandy landings in 1944. A Symbol of HopeThe chapel’s architecture is immediately striking. It was built in the early 17th century to replace the eleventh century chapel, and is made in the shape of a Greek Cross, with a façade featuring an unusual round porch topped with a dome. Over the porch is a clock and a large, decorative niche, containing a statue of the Virgin and Child. As long as storms rage, the chapel will be standing there above Honfleur as a symbol of hope to all those that travel by sea. For a look at what is directly across the English channel, read about the White Cliffs of Dover.
The copyright of the article Honfleur's Ancient Chapel of the Sea, France in France Travel is owned by Ja Woolf. Permission to republish Honfleur's Ancient Chapel of the Sea, France in print or online must be granted by the author in writing.
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