The Catholic Chapel of Mercy - one of the oldest and perhaps the most original buildings of the town.

Is a chapel at the foot of the hill of Le Suquet, right next to the market Forville. Around a lot of hustle and bustle, as always happens near the market, but by this temple will not run in a hurry: its unusual architecture has always attracted attention.

Presumably a chapel was built at the end of the XVI century or the beginning of XVII, but just before 1620. It is small: about 26 meters long and about 9 meters wide. It looks simple - almost to severity. Rounded wall of the eastern facade connects with the low rectangular bell tower, topped with a small sharp spire. The spire, decorated with glazed tiles - the only multi-colored stain on the house, and that is quite modest.

Initially, the chapel was named Notre-Dame-de-la Misericordia du Bor de Mer (Our Lady of Mercy Sea Coast). However, at some point the name of Our Lady of the Sea Shore won another local church. It seems that the name does not recur, one of them - at the chapel hill Suquet - changed. Since then, all kanntsy know it as the chapel of Mercy.

However, many are calling this small temple of the Black Penitents chapel, or even shorter - Black. It is surprising that people's memory kept this fact: it is the Brotherhood of the black penitents who ministers to the church for many years. Catholic brotherhood of penitents, practicing humility and help neighbors and distinguish colors robes, were very popular in the south of France before the Revolution of 1789. During the Revolution, the chapel of Mercy, as well as many church buildings, was expropriated. Later Brotherhood of Black Penitents come back, but not for long - in 1860 it was disbanded, and people still remember the name.

Now the Chapel of Mercy - acting. In the morning it usually is open, you can go and explore the interior, settled in shades of gray, as simple and austere as the walls outside. There are regular Tridentine Mass - that is to say the Mass in Latin in the Catholic Church after the Second Vatican Council, 1962 - 1965 years the phenomenon of infrequent. Entrance to the chapel - not by the market, and on the opposite street, which bears the same name remarkable: Misericordia, that is Mercy Street.