- Chapelle de Saint-Marie du Rosaire
The Chapelle du Saint-Marie du Rosaire (Chapel of Our Lady of the Rosary), often referred to as the Matisse Chapel or the Vence Chapel, is a small chapel built for Dominican nuns in the town of Vence on the
French Riviera . [http://www.bartleby.com/65/ma/Matisse.html , website, accessed July 30, 2006] It was built and decorated between1949 and1951 under a plan proposed byHenri Matisse . [http://www.mystudios.com/art/modern/matisse/matisse.html website, accessed July 30, 2006] It houses a number of Matisse originals and was regarded by Matisse himself as his "masterpiece." While the simple white exterior has drawn mixed reviews from casual observers, many regard it as one of the great religious structures of the 20th century.Background
In
1941 , Matisse, who lived most of the year in Nice in the south ofFrance , developedcancer and underwent surgery. During the long recovery he was particularly helped by a young part-time nurse, Monique Bourgeois, who had answered his ad seeking "a young and pretty nurse" and who took care of Matisse with great tenderness. Matisse asked her to pose for him, which she did, and several drawings and paintings exist. In1943 Monique decided to enter the Dominican convent in Vence, a nearby hill town to Nice, and she became Sister Jacques-Marie. Matisse eventually bought a home at Vence, not far from the convent where the young nun was stationed. She visited him and told him of the plans the Dominicans had to build a chapel beside the girls' high school which they operated in Vence. She asked Matisse if he would help with the design of the chapel. He had never done anything like it, but Matisse agreed to help, beginning in1947 . FatherMarie-Alain Couturier , who collaborated on several artistic Catholic churches after World War II, was also involved in the project.At the age of 77, Matisse began the greatest project of his life and spent more than 4 years working on the chapel, its architecture, its stained glass windows, its interior furnishings, its murals, and the vestments of the priests. It is perhaps the greatest ensemble artwork of the 20th century, and certainly the greatest religious commission. While Matisse had been baptized a
Catholic , he had not practiced the religion for many years. He designed the chapel as an artistic challenge.The story of the friendship and collaboration of Matisse and Sister Jacques Marie is related in her 1992 book "Henri Matisse: La Chapelle de Vence" (ISBN 2909767000) and in the 2003 documentary "Model for Matisse". [ [http://www.cmu.edu/cmnews/extra/030630_matisse.html French Professor Directs "Model for Matisse"] , Carnegie Mellon Today, 30 June 2003] Sister Jacques Marie died in 2004, aged 84.
The Architecture of the Chapel
The chapel is built on a hillside and one enters by descending a flight of stairs, and then turning to the right. The chapel is in an L shape, with the longer portion directly inside the door. The altar is placed at an angle where the two legs of the L join. The chapel is 15 meters long by 6 meters wide. The longer/larger segment is for the students or townspeople; the shorter section was for the nuns who lived and taught at the school. Both sides face the altar. [Billot, Marcel, ed.; "Henri Matisse: The Vence Chapel, The Archive of a Creation," (Skira:
1999 )]Furnishings of the Chapel
The altar is made of warm brown stone, chosen for its resemblance to the color of bread and the
Eucharist . Matisse also designed the bronze crucifix on the altar, the candle holders in bronze, and the small tabernacle. The wrought iron candle holder with a flame always burning and hanging from the ceiling was made by local craftsmen who have a special tradition of making wrought iron.tained Glass Windows
There are three sets of stained glass windows, upon which Matisse spent a great deal of time. All three sets make use of just three colors: an intense yellow for the sun, an intense green for vegetation and cactus forms, and a vivid blue for the
Mediterranean Sea , the Riviera sky and the Madonna. The two windows beside the altar are named the "Tree of Life," but the forms are abstract. The color from the windows floods the interior of the chapel, which is otherwise all white.Three Great Murals
For the walls, Matisse designed three great murals to be made by painting on white tiles with black paint and then firing the large sections of tile. Each tile measures 12 in.2. Matisse was so crippled with ailments by this time that he could only work from a wheelchair, and he had a long stick with a brush strapped to his arm and pieces of construction paper placed on the wall. He then drew the images, which were transferred to tiles by skilled craftsmen.
t. Dominic
Behind the altar is a large image of
St. Dominic , founder of the Order of Dominicans and by tradition founder of the practice of the rosary for Catholics. He was a 13th century wandering preacher fromSpain . His followers wear a white garment, or habit, with a panel hanging straight down the front. The simplest but most powerful of lines was created by Matisse to depict the saint.Virgin and Child
On the side wall there are abstract images of flowers and an image of the Madonna and Child, all created in black outlines on the white tiles. Rather than clasping the child to herself, as she is usually depicted, Matisse chose to show Mary offering her son to the whole world.
tations of the Cross
On the back wall of the chapel are the traditional 14 stations of the cross. Although the 14 stations are usually depicted individually, Matisse incorporated all of them on one wall in one cohesive composition. The series begins at the bottom left as
Jesus is brought beforePilate and condemned. The stations follow Jesus' progress carrying the cross. At the top in the center are the three most powerful images - The Raising of the Cross with Jesus' body nailed to it, the actualCrucifixion , and then Taking the Body of Jesus Down. The center panel has a straight vertical and horizontal composition, while the two surrounding stations have strong diagonal lines leading to the head of Jesus on the cross.ets of Vestments
Matisse also designed the priests' vestments for the chapel, using the traditional ecclesiastical colors of the religious seasons: purple, black, pink/rose, green, and red. The
Pope requested that the nuns send the vestments toRome to be put in the Vatican's new museum of modern religious art. The nuns made copies of five of the sets of vestments, including chasuble, maniple, stole, and covering of the chalice, and sent them to Rome.Remainder of Chapel Area
The outside of the chapel is white. The top of the roof is decorated with a blue-and-white zigzag pattern and carries an elaborate metal cross with a bell.
There is a small gift shop associated with the chapel where visitors may purchase postcards and other mementos of the chapel; income goes to support the nuns and the chapel. There are also two doors in carved wood, designed by Matisse, for the confessionals. Along the hallway to the gift shop are photos of Matisse designing the chapel. There are also some of Matisse's original sketches for the Stations and vestments.
Maquettes for all the vestments made, as well as for a number never actualized, were made by Matisse on brown wrapping paper and black construction paper. They can be seen in the
Pompidou Center in Paris.The high school has been closed for a number of years, and only a few elderly nuns still live there.
References
External links
* [http://perso.orange.fr/maison.lacordaire/index02.htm Official site] , with opening hours, photographs, etc.
* [http://www.musee-matisse-nice.org/expositions/chapelle_2001.html Photographs of the building] , from the Musée Matisse Nice
* [http://www.musee-matisse-nice.org/anglais/collect_chapelle.html Photographs of sketches and chasubles] , from the Musée Matisse Nice
* [http://www.moma.org/images/collection/FullSizes/00183076.jpgRed Chasuble] , fromMOMA
* [http://www.amb-cotedazur.com/excursions-chapelle-du-rosaire.html Chapelle du Rosaire] , by Alice Barber, AMB Cote d'Azur
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