Abbé Michel Devert, a passionate rugby fan, came up with the idea for this chapel in honor of rugby and its players, both French and foreign.
Located on the outskirts of Grenade-sur-l'Adour, this ruined chapel is to be restored as a sanctuary and place of prayer linked to the world of rugby.
The idea came to him after three Dax rugby union players died in a car accident in 1964: Jean Othats, Émile Carrère and Raymond Albaladejo, brother of Pierre Albaladejo.
The chapel was inaugurated in June 1967 with the blessing of the FFR.
This themed chapel, unique in the world, has been a lively affair ever since, welcoming around 15,000 visitors a year. It has become a place of pilgrimage for rugby players from all over the world, even beyond our borders.
At the back, behind the altar, in a niche, stands a gilded statue of the Virgin and Child. Four stained-glass windows illuminate the chapel: the Virgin of the touch, the Virgin of the injured player, the Virgin of the pilgrims and the Virgin of the scrum. Inside the chapel lie around 185 rugby shirts, most of them worn by deceased players, donated to Notre Dame du Rugby.
Since 2010, when the chapel was inaugurated, a small museum has housed more than 430 rugby shirts from all over the world, donated by generous donors, as well as an impressive collection of rugby ties.
Every year, a pilgrimage takes place on Whit Monday near Grenade sur l'Adour.
Open daily from 9am to 5pm.
Guided tours by appointment.
Information available from the Pays Grenadois Tourist Office.
Notre-Dame du Rugby
40270 Larrivière-Saint-Savin - Landes
Tel.: 05 58 45 45 98
https://www.tourismelandes.com/chapelle-dame-rugby/
