From your campsite The Sérigons Park » set off on the paths of Dévoluy.

Due to its geological configuration the Dévoluy is very different from the surrounding regions. It is a limestone massif surrounded by high cliffs, encircled by the torrents of the Drac and the Buëch where the waters disappear into chasms and reappear further away… It is a magical place that the inhabitants of past centuries have populated with tales and legends.

So, you curious souls of extraordinary places, visit, just 30km away (30 minutes by car), a jewel of the past!

The Romanesque chapel of Gicons more famously known as Mother Church Chapel from the 11th century.

Go all the way to Veynes, head towards Gap Then from St Etienne en Dévoluy. You are now on the plateau. Follow the signs for Corps, Agnières, and Saint-Disdier. Once you reach Les Baraques, head back towards Saint-Disdier and you will soon see the sign for Mère-Église.

Park along the cemetery wall or just opposite, a few meters further on.

And here you will discover one of the oldest monuments in the Hautes-Alpes, built in the 11th century by monks. A document dated 1080 attests to its donation by the Bishop of Gap to the Cluniac monastery (Order of Cluny).

Classified as a historical monument since March 14, 1927, it is the Romanesque chapel of Gicons which has long been called Mother Church because it was the first chapel in the region and, since always, on its rock, it dominates and seems to watch over the others.

His history

Why has this place, so unique, been so attractive for centuries?

People have built there since time immemorial. Probably because of its dominant position and, also, perhaps, because the ancients were already aware of the strong telluric current, with its powerful magnetism, that has been discovered there?

As evidence, the ruins around the church reveal that there was, in this place, a " castrum » a fortified Gallo-Roman camp.

Built on a rocky spur around the year 1000, like a watchtower, it served as an observation post against invasions.

In the Middle Ages, high fortifications allowed it to also provide the right of asylum to welcome and protect those seeking refuge.

Of these protective ramparts, only the ruins of the buried foundations remain.

In this little-known valley, this small church was long forgotten because travel in the Dévoluy region was only possible on mule tracks; it was only after 1840 that roads suitable for carriages were built. As a consequence of its isolation, the chapel fell into ruin, but in 1968, thanks to an active association of enthusiasts, the Association of Friends of Mother Church Thanks to the will of elected officials, it now lives again, identical to its original state, and is admired by visitors. Restoration work continues to safeguard and maintain this jewel of our past. (It is still present today to organize guided tours and concerts, and also to oversee the restoration work.)

Who built this chapel?

It was thanks to Roman communication routes, from the year 200, that evangelization spread in the main town of the region, Gap. During the 3rd and 4th centuries, monks of the order of the Cordeliers (named so by Charlemagne because of their rope belt tied over their brown robe) were sent everywhere in the most remote villages and hamlets to deliver the "good word", that is to say the Gospel.

To gather the faithful and build a church, the Cluniac monks (Order of Cluny) chose a place in this secluded valley: it was this prominent rocky outcrop from which the various roads could be observed.

Its architecture is in the Romanesque style.

Built with local stone, oriented towards the east, and adjoining a cemetery, the Mother Church chapel strikes us at first glance with the purity of its characteristic lines. Alpine Romanesque style.

The Romanesque style is characterized by a squat, massive form with little height, dominated by the semicircular arch, with naves often covered by a three-bay barrel vault. The thick walls, with few and narrow openings, are supported externally by buttresses. The round apses are semi-circular, meaning they are quarter-spheres. Symbolically, the vault of the chancel apse represents the heavens and is decorated with frescoes.

The 13th-century bell tower surmounts a vaulted chapel dedicated to Saint Didier. It houses the Jesus Maria de Sauveterre bell from 1727, is made of tufa, and consists of a square tower pierced by two small twin arched openings with columns that illuminate it. The more recent pyramidal spire from the 14th century, slightly truncated, has dormer windows, each surmounted by a sculpted face, perhaps that of the builders?

The high risk of fire at that time, due to the wooden structures, necessitated the replacement of the highly flammable timber frame with a stone vault in the 12th century. This, in turn, required the reinforcement of the side walls with external buttresses due to the tension exerted on the stone. This allowed the roof to be covered with a stronger, albeit heavier, material: slate tiles.

Formerly, the apses were covered with rye thatch, but now they are protected by bundles of reeds. Some have suggested that the thatched roof symbolically evoked the dwellings of peasants, while the more noble and durable flagstones protected the house of God.

Come in and discover the mysteries of this unique chapel!

One enters this small church (interior dimensions 14m x 6,5m), laden with symbols characteristic of the Romanesque style, through a very narrow, arched doorway on the south side. Some had mistakenly attributed its construction to the Knights Templar, by analogy with the architecture of churches built by the crusaders in Jerusalem during the Crusades.

The gate wasn't built in that location by chance. Recently, a group of dowsers, equipped with their rods and pendulums, observed that telluric forces were extraordinarily strong in this spot as in three other spots in the church.

So, from the moment you enter, you will be recharged with energy. And the 16th-century paintings and decorations of the chapel, though barely visible, enliven the walls and add to the invigorating atmosphere. The builders chose vibrant colors for the fresco themes because they wanted to make Christ's message very appealing to the mostly illiterate faithful of the time. The aim was for them to understand Christ's message and live according to his word, believing in the bliss of an afterlife before the resurrection of the body.

The chapel is charged with magnetic waves coming from the earth.

Thus, upon entering, you will be able to benefit from all the positive effects of its energy. Some visitors, in order to experience the maximum magnetic effects, make direct contact with the rock by placing their hands and even their feet on it!

Touch it, observe this unique rock and you will see some notches on its surface because unscrupulous thieves have extracted small pieces of stone…to take them away!

Since 1927, the chapel has attracted the attention of art traffickers over the years, who have looted it. The list of numerous rare pieces stolen is unfortunately long. The current ceramic statue on the altar, "The Resurrection of Christ," is merely a photographic copy of the original, priceless, finely carved wooden artwork, stolen in 1975.

Another 400-year-old statue on the small altar is that of the Virgin with angels, which seems to evoke her ascent to heaven.

At the far end of the semicircular vaulted nave, behind the altar, one can make out painted decorations, faded by time, barely perceptible, their outlines and colors almost vanished. Indeed, their lack of durability is due to the fact that they were painted on a dry lime support and not "a fresco" on fresh plaster.

Behind the gallery, restoration artists have been carefully working to uncover the scenes that can be seen today: "The Last Judgment," with Christ in a mandorla (almond-shaped frame), the apostles, and the vices and virtues. But given the disastrous state of all the paintings in the chapel, one can only hope that generous patrons will undertake a complete restoration of these deserving jewels of the past.

You will be intrigued by the small wooden gallery supported by beams, built in 1663 and enlarged in 1783, and its curious and numerous figurative motifs painted on the wood with lime tinted with red ochre. Mysterious and symbolic signs mingle there: monstrances, vertical and horizontal fleurs-de-lis, the moon and the sun, stars, hearts, six-pointed Maltese crosses. This suggests that the Templars left their mark with their symbols during their many pilgrimages to the chapel.

Take your time… Observe, discover this truly magical and mysterious place, charged with magnetism and spirituality.

Outside, be sure to visit the cemetery. Once attached to the church, it is now separated from the chapel by a wall. Excavations began there in 1966, uncovering an ancient necropolis, ossuaries, and old tombs. Numerous skeletons from various periods were unearthed. More than 1500 human remains were found. The oldest are believed to date from before the year 1000, attesting to the site's appeal and a vibrant religious life in past centuries. The burials include those of monks as well as those of inhabitants of hamlets and villages in the valley who wished to be buried near the Mother Church.

A particular tomb, that of René Desmaison.

On the stone slab of a tomb, an ice axe, a fragment of rock bearing mysterious signs… This tomb among the contemporary tombs of the cemetery, will surely attract your attention, it is that of René Desmaison, extraordinary mountaineer, high mountain guide, pioneer of winter climbing who practiced more than 1000 ascents among the most perilous including 114 “firsts” in the Grandes Jorasses of the Alps, on the pic de Bure in the Massif du Dévoluy, also in the Himalayas, in Peru and also famous for his stories, novels and films where he shares with us his passion for the mountains and his exploits.

Richer in knowledge and culture, you will regretfully leave the endearing Mother Church because there is still so much to discover!

So, you'll definitely come back!

But before heading back, and since so many mysteries still emanate from this mysterious chapel, you will be interested in the legend of the priest's hat.

Once upon a time, long, long ago, every Sunday, the villagers of Saint-Disdier would climb up to the Mother Church chapel to attend Mass. The village priest would mingle with the faithful, but as they were leaving, he would remove his hat, place it prominently by the side of the path, and continue at the head of the procession. After an hour's walk, everyone would arrive at the chapel door.

The sexton welcomed them and ushered them into the church.

The priest approached the altar where, by magic or miracle…? his hat was already there!

Every Sunday the faithful witnessed this miracle and every Sunday they asked the priest the same questions:

"How does the hat manage to get to the altar all by itself?"

And the priest, raising his eyes and arms to heaven, always gave them the same answer: "My dear brothers...It's a miracle!"

For a long time the mysterious phenomenon occurred and always with the same response from the priest.

But one day, the mystery was solved! A clever fellow discovered an underground passage leading from the village to the Mother Church chapel. And then the subterfuge was understood: the sexton would pick up the hat and, using the underground passage, arrive at the chapel faster than the procession, place the hat on the altar, and wait for the parishioners at the small door!

The amusing legend is still told…but, despite many diligent searches…the underground passage has never been found again…!

So, if this story intrigues you…

Return to this beautiful region of Dévoluy, in your favorite campsite “Le Parc des Sérigons” and come back to the mysterious Mother Church chapel… to actively begin your search for the underground passage…

Perhaps you will be the one to find him?