The marine cemetery in Gruissan and its Notre-Dame-des-Auzils chapel are dedicated to sailors who have lost their lives at sea.
In 1080, monks from Cassan Abbey in Hérault established a priory in La Clape to welcome travelers crossing the inhospitable mountain range on foot.
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The name “Dame dals Auzils” was given in 1223, when monks from Boulboune in Ariège purchased the priory.
The current chapel appears to have been built in 1635. Since then, it has been renovated and reinforced many times.
Wishing to obtain assistance for the renovation of these paintings, the villagers succeeded in having the chapel classified as a Historic Monument in 1964. In 1973, the site of Les Auzils was classified as a historic site.
In 1981, all the inhabitants of Gruissan gathered to inaugurate the renovated chapel. Notre Dame des Auzils has regained its former beauty, with 73 ex-votos and 27 models back in place.
Activities linked to the sea, a place of many dangers, have often inspired this kind of creation. Sailors in distress implore help from above.
Once back on land, they offer small paintings, engraved plaques, or model boats, as is the case at the Auzils chapel. The oldest dates back to 1816.
Every year, at Easter and Pentecost, sailors, the people of Gruissan, and their families make a procession up to Notre-Dame des Auzils.
The pilgrimage on Easter Monday, the most important one, pays tribute to the sailors of Gruissan who have disappeared.
Perched on its rock, surrounded by lush vegetation, the chapel was dedicated to the Virgin Mary, protector of sailors, after the violent storm of 1797 in which 29 sailors lost their lives, hence the numerous ex-votos that decorate it.
The Hermit's Garden and its legend...
At the bottom of the marine cemetery lies the “hermit's garden,” maintained by members of the Conservatoire des Auzils. This is where men lived who, since the dawn of time, had vowed to devote their lives to welcoming and guiding travelers through this harsh and beautiful natural environment.
The last hermit, Michel Cyprien, died in 1888.
Legend has it that under the retaining wall of the chapel, a hole has been dug in the rock, which is said to be the tomb prepared by the last hermit, but it does not explain why it has remained empty.
Chapelle Notre Dame Des Auzils Et Cimetière Marin
11430 Gruissan
https://ville-gruissan.fr/culture-patrimoine/notre-dame-des-auzils/
Translated with DeepL.com
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