Classified as a Historic Monument on May 26, 2000, the chapel of Saint-Sébastien, also known as Sainte-Claire, was built in 1481 in the upper Vésubie valley.
Designed to protect the village's inhabitants from the plague, it has recently been restored and is of major interest among the painted chapels in the valleys of the Nice hinterland for the meticulousness of its depictions.
It is rectangular in plan, with a flat chevet, round barrel vault and gable roof. The entire interior (chevet walls, vault, side walls) is decorated with tempera murals.
Indeed, it contains a complete cycle of paintings depicting life at the end of the 15th century: architectural representations, clothing, tools of daily life, figurative representations of vices and virtues, and even a representation of good and bad prayer: that of the monk and that of the gentleman.
The frescoes on its vaults also offer a veritable "comic strip" by Piedmontese painter Giovanni Baleison, executed in the 15th century and depicting the martyrdom of Saint Sebastian.
Giovanni Baleison's most important works in the county have been identified in Saint Martin Vésubie, Saint Etienne de Tinée, Saorge and Lucéram, and in collaboration with Giovanni Canavesio (1450 ?- 1500?) in La Brigue. He is one of the most important exponents of the "International Gothic" style, marking a break with the Middle Ages.
Sainte-Claire Chapel
2 Rue de la Mairie,
06450 Venanson
Tel: 04.93.03.23.05
https://www.venanson.fr/evenements/calendrier/34-consecration-saint-michel-eglise-st-michel.htm
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