Chapelle du Rosaire (Matisse Chapel)
Chapelle du Rosaire de Vence
A small chapel Matisse designed in full in his later years. Blue, yellow and green stained glass and black-line drawings on white tiles create a minimal, luminous spiritual space.
The Rosary Chapel (Chapelle du Rosaire) lies on the outskirts of Vence. Matisse designed it between 1948 and 1951 for a Dominican order of nuns, and called it his 'masterpiece of a lifetime'. Everything, from the architecture, stained glass and black-line murals on white glazed tiles to the altar, candlesticks and vestments, was designed by Matisse himself. Sunlight filters through the stained glass in lemon yellow, bottle green and ultramarine, casting shifting colours across the white walls and floor, and the morning light is best. A small gallery beside it displays sketches and vestments. Admission is about €7. Closed on Sundays and Mondays, and photography is not allowed inside. It is about a 10-minute drive from Saint-Paul-de-Vence, or about an hour by bus 400 from Nice.
Opening hours
Tue–Sat about 10:00–11:30 am and 2:00–5:30 pm (Thu afternoon only)
Nearby sights
- Fondation Maeght
- Saint-Paul-de-Vence
- Gourdon
- Promenade des Anglais
- Musée des Beaux-Arts Jules Chéret
- St. Nicholas Orthodox Cathedral
- Antibes Old Town
- Musée Picasso Antibes