La Chapelle-Geneste: Church, Pilgrimage and Viaduct

La Chapelle-Geneste offers several specific points of interest for a trip focused on church art, walking routes and structures. The Église Notre-Dame de l’Assomption impresses with details in its choir and retable. Also of note are the annual pilgrimage to Saint Roch, held on August 16, and the PR109 La Senouire walking trail, which leads to La Chapelle-Geneste and points towards the village church. The curved Viaduc de Marlanges lies near the commune. Thus, a religious event, a route with a named destination and a railway viaduct offer different points of interest. Which of these appeals to you most can help shape your stay.

Church and Black Madonna

The original Église Notre-Dame de l’Assomption may date from the 12th century. Two specific architectural features are noted in the choir: it has a calotte vault and five windows. A calotte is a dome-like vault; here, the term describes the shape of the upper section. The number of windows adds another detail to the design of the choir.

The carved retable is painted white and gilded; it dates from the 17th or early 18th century. A retable is a decorative structure behind an altar. One of its niches houses a seated Black Madonna made of gilded, polychrome wood. Polychrome means decorated in several colours. Craftsmanship, painted decoration and figurative representation come together in this work.

The statue is dated to the 18th century; its black finish and gilding were added in the 19th century. These dates relate to different aspects: the dating of the figure itself, on the one hand, and later additions to its finish, on the other. Since February 10, 1983, the Black Madonna has been listed as a movable cultural heritage object. The original church and the retable also have their own dates: the possible 12th-century origin of the church is expressed cautiously, while the retable is attributed to the 17th or early 18th century.

Pilgrimage and walking trail

The pilgrimage to Saint Roch takes place every year on August 16. This recurring date is a specific reference point if you are planning your trip around a particular occasion. The PR109 La Senouire offers a different point of reference: the walking trail leads to La Chapelle-Geneste and points towards the village church. For planning your dates, the pilgrimage provides a fixed annual date; for finding your way around the village, the trail indicates the church as a direction. If you would like to include walking and local history in your trip, you can take these different points of interest into account separately when planning.

The Viaduc de Marlanges

The curved Marlanges railway viaduct lies near La Chapelle-Geneste. It is 135 metres long, 16 metres high and has nine arches. Its dimensions can also be compared: the structure is more than eight times as long as it is high. Together with its curved course and row of arches, these figures give a concrete idea of its form. For travellers interested in railway structures as well as the church and the pilgrimage, the viaduct is a distinct point of interest. Its location near La Chapelle-Geneste sets it apart from the route to the village church, which passes directly through the village.

A regional connection

Another perspective on the commune comes from its inclusion at the time in the Parc naturel régional du Livradois-Forez. The decree of July 25, 2011 included the entire commune in the park for twelve years from the date of its publication. This connection differs from the specific cultural sites and structures: it concerns the commune as a whole and is defined by an explicitly limited period. It thus adds a regional perspective to the themes of the church, pilgrimage and viaduct.

Discover more destinations: Saint-Georges-Lagricol, Dunières, Saint-Paulien, Varennes-Saint-Honorat, Vergongheon, Saint-Vincent, Laval-sur-Doulon, Bellevue-La-Montagne.

For the broader travel overview: Haute-Loire.