Today, we will discuss a chapel that no longer exists, which was once an integral part of the spiritual life in the Ray district. It had several dedications, including that of Saint Mary of the Temple.
On August 30, 1716, 53 heads of families gathered in the Ray district, which was then in the countryside. They wanted to erect a chapel in honor of the Exaltation of the Holy Cross.
The vicar general, Canon Don Jean Marie Raiberti, gave his approval for the construction of the religious building. Count André Galéan de Toudon provided the necessary land for its construction.
Until the 18th century, those living in the countryside had to descend to St. Reparata Cathedral for worship, as they were under its jurisdiction. With the port’s development, the city began to expand, including its outskirts. The Ray district saw much activity with agriculture, especially olive groves. By destroying the citadel, Louis XIV inadvertently aided the people of Nice, allowing the city to extend beyond its walls, across the Paillon, and what was once countryside began to urbanize.
In 1743, neighborhood captains were instituted; they held police and administrative powers. Chapels were erected in these various hamlets. Shortly before the invasion of the County of Nice by revolutionary troops, the Ray chapel had three brothers serving it: Vincenzo, Arnoux, and Antonio. There was even a doctor, Dr. Million. The chapel was under the Saint Bartholomew convent.
The revolution closed churches, claiming to bring freedom but instead banning worship. After the revolutionary storm, the churches gradually regained their functions by 1802. On December 20, 1863, as evidence of the religious vitality of this chapel, a mission cross was installed by churchwardens Honoré Astraudo and Jean Baptiste Canniz; the cross was blessed by Father Théobald. At the dawn of the 20th century, the chapel proved too small. Father Théophile Faschiotti demolished it in 1893 to build a larger one. The land was purchased from the Maistre family.
The new Holy Cross chapel underwent two restorations: internal in 1928 and external in 1936. The Capuchins, who animated Saint Bartholomew’s Church, relinquished their care of this chapel in the ’60s due to their dwindling numbers.
It became too cramped to accommodate the ever-growing population. It was replaced by a post office and an administrative center. Its last parish priest, Father René Jean Ferré, also became the first of the new St. John the Baptist Church, which opened for worship on September 1, 1965.
The old chapel disappeared in 1969. Its bell, as a tribute, sits in the choir of the new church, next to the high altar.
Thierry Jan
