Sainte-Marie-Madeleine du Fornet Chapel

The chapels in Le Fornet have seen a fair bit of change over the centuries… that’s because of the avalanches. There have been four in all, dedicated to St Mary Magdalene each time. The first chapel was built between 1600 and 1630 near the larch forest to protect the village from avalanches. The present-day chapel was built in 1890, thanks to funds from Joachim Bonnevie. Above the entrance doorway, you can see the statuette of the Patron Saint in the recess. This was sculpted very recently as the original was stolen in the 1980s, along with many other religious artefacts. Up until the 1990s, on St Mary Magdalene’s Day, the vicar would come and bless the houses, then hold Mass in the chapel for the local congregation. Who was Mary Magdalene?According to the New Testament, Jesus cast out seven demons from Mary Magdalene. She went on to become one of his disciples - perhaps the most important. She was the first to witness Jesus’ Resurrection, which makes her very important. She is also the woman who features most prominently in the New Testament. Mary Magdalene weeps, as she does not understand what the angels are saying, it’s so unimaginable. That’s when Christ appears and speaks to her. He tells her that he is going to ascend to be with God and that she must tell the other disciples. 22 July is her feast day.Why does Mary Magdalene have a special place in Le Fornet?At this exact spot, water flows at the bottom of the gorge. It would have been difficult to access the River Isère if there was a fire. So the locals relied on Mary Magdalene’s tears to put out any fire.