Chapelle Notre Dame de Vie

It was in this admirable site that Picasso, whose property named the Antre du Minotaure adjoined the chapel, ended his life. The landscape is Tuscan in appearance, with tall Florentine cypresses, a gently rolling and wooded perspective. Inscribed in the register of historical monuments since 1927, this chapel built in the 12th century was rebuilt in 1654 according to its initial slightly enlarged structure. Based on a rectangular plan with a nave consisting of a main vessel augmented by a secondary vessel, its walls are covered with ex-votos that testify to the enthusiasm aroused by the Holy Virgin Advocate of Mougins. Until 1730, the site was a sanctuary where families came from all over the region to have the dead children baptized. With its cypress alley, the structure of the facade and its discreet oculus, the priory and its modest wooden door, the atmosphere pleased Picasso very much. It is said «that the whole world came to admire it»: from musicians Mstislav Rostropovitch and Arthur Rubinstein to Charlie Chaplin, Jean Cocteau or Winston Churchill. In 2012 the site was restored by the City of Mougins, thanks to the support of the DRAC PACA, the PACA Region, General Council 06 and many donors who participated in the public subscription with the Heritage Foundation.

Every year in July, the Chapel hosts the Notre Dame de Vie Classical Music Festival: 4 days of performances in the Chapel gardens with renowned musicians.