The Mayor of Mougins and Regional Councillor Richard Galy is clear in his statements: “The enhancement of our town involves the enhancement of its architectural heritage: its two chapels, Saint-Barthélemy and Notre-Dame-de-Vie, its fountains and washhouses with their remarkable architecture, and its village with a Provençal charm. This renovation is part of the town’s cultural policy, but not only that. It is currently important to preserve and enhance our architectural heritage, as it represents both an economic and social challenge. The preservation of heritage also aligns with a sustainable development approach.”
-The achievements
Fountains and basins
The fountain symbolizes life; in every Provençal village, you will find one around a small square or in the shade of a majestic plane tree. The washhouse appeared in the 19th century with the development of health-conscious movements. It naturally sits next to the fountain.
These fountains and basins have admirable architecture worthy of enhancement. Some of them have undergone maintenance and renovation work:
Ø cleaning and landscaping of the surroundings;
Ø installation of informational plaques;
Ø site lighting;
Ø paving installation;
Ø gradual installation of closed water circuits allowing for recycling.
The Saint-Barthélemy chapel
The Saint-Barthélemy chapel is a 10th-century chapel listed as a historic monument since December 22, 1941. It has a particularly rare octagonal shape for a religious building, with its semicircular apse, its porch sheltering its entrance door, and its small bell tower topping its chevet.
In 2011, it was decided to renovate it to make it a classified site. Improvement works were undertaken to preserve its authenticity, secure its surroundings, and restore its religious and festive vocation. The Saint-Barthélemy festival is indeed one of those traditional festivals that have continued from very ancient times. The old residents of Mougins attributed the power to bring forth beneficial rains to Saint-Barthélemy, after particularly dry summer periods. In 2007, associations in Mougins revitalized this festival.
From December 2010 to June 2011, following consultations with the French National Monuments, the following works were carried out: installation of bollards with chains to prevent parking along the chapel; landscaping of the esplanade (leveling, gravel) and the embankment (stones and plants); lighting of the building: buried spotlights and LED projectors; installation of an informative plaque on a wrought iron lectern; restoration of the oratory and the southeast facade; installation of a barrier to prevent access for two-wheelers.
-The ongoing projects
The Notre-Dame-de-Vie Chapel
The chapel has been listed in the Supplementary Inventory of Historical Monuments since 1927; the priory and its surroundings have been classified as historical monuments since 1938. The Notre-Dame-de-Vie chapel is a remarkable ensemble because it gathers all the aesthetic characteristics of 17th-century Provençal country chapels. It has a long religious history. Until the 1970s, the Chapel’s garden was the scene of grand celebrations and processions honoring Saint Innocence, the village’s patroness. Even today, masses gather, in the greatest fervor, people from Mougins, Cannet, and Grasse.
Unfortunately, the site is deteriorating. Its restoration has been considered for many years but has never been realized due to lack of funds. Therefore, it is essential today to tackle this task. It is necessary to preserve the town’s heritage and to ensure good public reception conditions.
The current project proposes a restoration identical to the original by preserving or restoring the original works and materials. It is based on the study conducted in 2005 by Mr. Gatier, Chief Architect of Historical Monuments, and on the preliminary project carried out in May 2011 by the architectural and master-planning office Donjerkovic.
The goal is to restore the site to its full splendor and allow it to regain its religious purpose, while transforming the priory into a cultural center. The works will begin in March 2012 and will last for seven months.
