Chapelles Barre-y-Va

A touching sailor’s chapel

The storm abated soon after their prayer, and when they landed, they found a statue of Mary, which they promptly housed in a chapel that was built in her honour. Thus la Chapelle Barre-y-va was founded. But what is not legend is that Caudebec has long been the tragic victim of a deadly phenomenon: the tidal bore, this unpredictable wave rushes upriver during certain high tides. The chapel overlooking the meander is dedicated to sailors lost at sea as well as to the protection of the living. This moving chapel and its small oratory, called la Chapelle Bleue because of its stained glass window, are worth visiting to appreciate the fortunes of the sailors of yesteryear as well as to see the persistence of the votive custom