Vence, The Rosaire Chapel
The Rosaire Chapel, a masterpiece designed by Henri Matisse, remains a monument of sacred art like none
other in the world. From 1948 to 1951, Matisse drew up plans for the building, including its decorative details:
stained glass windows, ceramics, stalls, stoups, religious objects, priestly ornaments and more. For the first
time, a painter created the whole of a monument, from the architecture to the furnishing and stained glass
windows. The chapel’s first stone was laid in 1949. The Notre Dame du Rosaire chapel was inaugurated and
consecrated in 1951. For Henri Matisse, “This work required four years of exclusive hard work, and it is the
culmination of my life. Despite all of its imperfections, I consider it as my masterpiece.”
