Description

The Notre Dame des Cyprès chapel is located in a hamlet in the vineyards. Houses nestle against the old building and together this gives a quite Tuscan picture. We are two kilometers southwest of the village of Fayence. The large, dark porch, the Romanesque church tower and the finely crafted masonry exude a great sense of calm.

Guided tours are offered free of charge on one day of the week in summer. They usually take place between 3pm and 6pm and are organized by the association Fayence Patrimoine. Larger groups and in the low season must register and the guided tours are then subject to a fee. In all cases it is advisable to contact the Tourist Office of the Fayence Region (tel. +33 494760102) because the visiting days vary from year to year.

The church building also has an interior worth seeing, but you can only see it on guided tours. Not a single small hole allows a glimpse. The entrance leads downwards, it is a symbolic transition from the profane exterior to the sacred interior. Among other things, you will find a marble altar, a tabernacle from the 16th century, an altarpiece depicting the most important aspects of Mary's life and votive tablets.

The church is dedicated to Mary and for a long time all Marian-related festivals were celebrated here. A procession is still held on September 8th.

Site history

The chapel was built by the monks of the monastery on the islands of Lérins in the Bay of Cannes in the 10th or 11th century. It is probably the first church building in Fayence. The current building dates from the 15th century.

Access by public transport

Fayence can be reached from several directions, buses coming from Cannes or Saint-Raphaël have a stop called Fayence Piscine between the village and the chapel. Lines 832 and 836 are particularly interesting, information under Zou! (only french).

Short trail

From the bus stop, go across the large car park to the tennis courts and turn left at the fences. So we come via a path to bins for waste separation.

We then continue in the same direction, after about 100 meters we come to the entrance of the Pays de Fayence Museum on the left. But we take the narrow alley to the right (Chemin de Seillans). After a few minutes ahead we cross the main road D19 and continue on the Chemin de Notre-Dame. This road takes us directly to the chapel.

One direction is about 1.5 kilometers of flat distance

Access by car

We are located north of Saint-Raphaël and northwest of Cannes. Fayence can be reached via several roads. The chapel is situated in the fields south of the main road D19 coming from Montauroux and passing south-west of Fayence. We cross the roundabout and continue towards Seillans. After a short while, there is a crossroads with a transformer house on the right, here we turn left onto the Chemin de Notre-Dame path and thus come directly to the chapel.

Coming from Seillans you can take the first street on the right after the hairpin bend.

Parking site

There is no designated parking space, but there is plenty of space around the chapel.

Services available

Here you will find stone benches and a fountain with drinking water. All this is located between cypresses and grapevines.