In Bellême, the rebirth of the Boucicaut chapel

Surprise within surprise! In Bellême (Orne), as soon as you open the door, the Saint-Sauveur church surprises with its vast nave and its inverted barrel vault, paneled in oak. Then the eye is drawn to the sparkling gold mosaics of a chapel on the north aisle.

This February 28, 2026, Joël Lenoir, president of Bellême Patrimoine, the association which carried out the project of its restoration, is pleased to show it to journalists from Pilgrim as well as to the donors and supporters of his association. It has indeed just regained its splendor thanks to the commitment of its volunteers.

“This chapel, decorated by the best artists of the end of the 19th century, at the request of Aristide Boucicaut – founder of the Le Bon Marché department store in Paris – was in very poor condition,” he recalls.

Significant damage

Son of the country, Aristide Boucicaut remained faithful to his city which benefited from his generosity and that of his wife Marguerite. In memory of his beloved mother, he wanted to beautify the Rosary Chapel, where she loved to pray. This was done in 1878. Then, over time, the decorations suffered significant damage.

In 2024, Bellême Patrimoine applied for the Grand Prix Pèlerin du Patrimoine. “Thanks to its exceptional artistic interest, its original story and given the urgency of the work, the chapel unanimously convinced the jury,” explained Delia Balland and Sophie Laurant, representing the editorial staff during a visit and an end-of-construction evening.

She was the winner of the Pilgrim Media Prize, in partnership with the CFRT/Jour du Seigneur. This prize, in addition to numerous public subsidies and private donations and with the support of the Heritage Foundation, enabled the complete restoration of the “Boucicaut chapel” in 2025. A film was shot to tell the story of this great adventure: mosaics, gilding, marble, stained glass… the craftsmen thus testify to the interest of this project which mobilized the association for around ten years.