Cap Ferrat, quiet jewel of the Cote d’Azur, is always full of surprises. Like the beautiful, rugged coastal walks we discovered one year, that circle the Cap (see this post, and this one). Like the fact that there are the beautiful manicured estates of the super-rich, but the locals have their roots as simple fishermen.
We visit each year, and now a new surprise. A tiny sign along one of the coastal walks marks a detour to the Chappelle de Saint Hospice. A short climb later found us at a peak of the Cap, at a charming chapel that stands alone there, with 360 degree views of the Mediterranean, Beaulieu, Nice, and Villefranche. Beside the chapel, an oddity: a brass statue of Madonna and child, 36 feet (11 metres) tall.
Inside, the small chapel is peaceful and user-friendly. It is reportedly always open; candles were lit, and soft organ music played. There was not a soul in sight. Rays of southern sunlight penetrated the open door, and just a wisp of a sea breeze brushed past.
Here is the story of the chapel: In the sixth century there was a tower on the spot, and a hermit named Hospice took up residence in the tower to live a monastic life. When the Lombards invaded the coast in 575, they found the tower and believed it
to be full of treasures. They found Hospice inside, and one of the soldiers raised his sword to decapitate him. Instantly the soldier’s arms were paralyzed, and Hospice’s life was spared. The chapel was later built in his honor at the site of the ruined tower, and the miracle that sainted him is portrayed in a statue in the chapel. The giant bronze Madonna, taller than the church but just shorter than the bell tower, was added in 1903.
Just outside the door was a lovely and poignant inscription. Which will be your French leçon du jour. Here is the text for you to decipher, followed by my translation (corrections welcome).
Le hasard d’une promenade vous a conduits
à cette chapelle au bout du monde;
Derrière l’abside c’est le large,
derrière la porche, l’abri d’une rade:
Vous êtes entre Terre et Mer,
là oû s’apaise la longue course
des vagues de Levant ou de Ponant.
Ici tant de marins sont venus
la veille de lever l’ancre.
Tant de femmes ont gravi la colline
pour trouver la force
d’espérer leur retour.
Vous êtes entre Terre et Mer.
Faites halte
Faites silence
Et que monte de votre coeur,
rejoignant la prière millénaire,
votre adoration
vers Dieu, le créateur
de la Terre et de la Mer.
A chance stroll has led you
to this chapel at the end of the world;
beyond the apse is the open sea,
behind the portico, the shelter of a harbor:
You are between earth and sea,
there, where calms the long track
of waves from east or west.
Here too many sailors have come
on the eve of weighing the anchor.
Too many women have scaled the hill
to find the strength
to hope for their return.
You are between earth and sea.
Be still
Be silent
And as your heart ascends,
rejoin the millennial prayer,
your worship
of God, the creator
of the earth and the sea.
Photos, above: A very tall Madonna, and the chapel viewed from the sea, on top of the hill.
One last thing: in the chapel there is a book where fellow travelers can leave their wishes, dreams, aspirations, prayers (photo, left). If you can’t visit, perhaps the good St. Hospice will consider your virtual appeals from afar. A very Happy Easter to all!
In the COMMENTS: It was such fun reading your additons to the "They Just Don't Get It" list! So many I forgot–Susan, YES to the showers, and the lack thereof. Kiki reminded us of French parking garages, 'journey to the center of the earth' for sure. Y'all added smiling, dog poop, and smoking. Suzanne, you are right about the US food explosion not cutting aross all ecomonic groups, but I hope it spreads–the US does fast food way too well. Bobbi, of the Finding Me in France Switzerland blog, reminded me that I forgot WINE as the thing the French do well, c'est vrai!
11 thoughts on “A Peaceful Interlude in the South of France”
St. Jean Cap Ferrat is truly heavenly and a great place to visit!
Yes, the U.S. does fast food so well that it is killing a third of its citizens.
Colette
Couldn’t agree with that more!
Thank you forr sharing not only your story of your visit to the chapel, but the inscription as well. Beautiful in either language!
I don’t know if you have visited the Cemetery of Nice (since it is located right around the corner so to speak from Cap Ferrat) but it is truly spectacular with huge sculptures and incredibly ornate mausoleums. If you like walking around cemeteries, which I do, the place is by turns gorgeous and serene with amazing water views from many sides. And if you look very carefully, you will find the resting place of the Benz family including Mercedes……and yes it is that family and the space is maintained by the Daimler Corporation.
Under the rubric They just don’t get it” how about: snow removal, especially around the Paris airports. Each time it snows there is pandemonium: they close down the airports, close down the busses, stranding passengers on the roads. It makes me crazy.
For the wishing book:
My wish is to stay healthy enough to enjoy another trip to France soon, and an opportunity to see this spot and others that I’ve dreamed of seeing, like Mortagne-au-Perche, the home of my ancestors, Giverny, home of M. Monet, and the castle in Bordeaux, where resides Lynn, of Southern Fried French.
Lynn, this has to be one of your best posts (and there have been many!)
Between Hospice, the wishing book, and our lecon du jour, we are absolutely transported to a place filled with peace and renewal.
What a gift you have given us today!
THANK YOU!!
Lovely post Lynn. Profite bien, as I know you are in beautiful Cap Ferrat. I missed this gorgeous walk and chapel during our last visit, so will be sure to see it next time. The lovely chapel with it’s tribute to fishermen and all types of sweet votives, and gorgeous paintings from the coastal path at Antibes, comes to mind as well. Perhaps you know the name and will post about that special chapel if time allows. Beautiful poem.
Bon weekend!
Lovely poem and translation. I would translate, “que monte de votre coeur”, more as: Be still and silent so that a prayer can swell up from your heart…to the creator of earth and sea. That was the interpretation I felt when I read it. Thanks for your column.
Sylvia, thanks for refining the translation. My Dutch friend Frank sent an email too and he agrees with you.