Modern Light in Quiet Chapels of France

A Small Chapel, A Big Idea

On a back road outside Saint-Gravé in Brittany, there’s a chapel you could easily miss. Sixteenth-century stone, a handful of farm buildings nearby, cows in the distance. Nothing grand.

But inside, the glass tells a different story that ties to a much bigger one.

La Bogerais is part of a larger, postwar movement in France where artists and clergy began rethinking what sacred spaces were.

After World War II, so much around the church had been shattered — literally, by bombings, and figuratively, by the cultural wreckage of the era. In response, existing chapels and cathedrals weren’t restored to their medieval past but re-imagined with the colors, forms, and visions of modern art.

The result was something quietly radical: sacred spaces where Chagall, Braque, or Matisse work in glass, with even small rural chapels included.

La Bogerais may look unassuming from the outside, but inside thick blocks of glass glow with color, light filtered not through medieval saints but a 20th-century abstract lens.

This one (La Bogerais) might look unassuming, but it’s connected to a larger movement. A postwar shift in how France imagined the sacred – or at least a handful of people did.

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A small chapel & a big movement

The small chapel at La Bogerais is a perfectly normal chapel - there are many like it. The style is typical of the Morbihan countryside, this one outside a small town, Saint-Gravé. Sixteenth century. Dedicated to Saint Sixte (there are several Sainte Sixtes, it’s a bit confusing).

You could drive past it without noticing.

But inside, there’s something quietly radical.

In post–World War II, France was gutted. Not just the buildings, although plenty of churches were crumbling. But spiritually and culturally, they were looking for a renovation of the country, this was before Vatican II, but already religious spaces were being rebuilt and reconsidered around the Catholic world as religious leaders were looking to restore the Church’s community functions after the devastating of the early part of the century.

What was created was an unexpected blend of religion and modern art as stained glass windows, many of which had been destroyed and looted, but sometimes windows simply needed to be replaced.

Check out my video below.

I love spaces like this. I’d love to hear what you think!

Examples show up in surprising places. I still haven’t gotten a clear idea of just how many sites were modernized like this.

light after the war

Starting in the 1940s and deepening into the 50s and 60s, churches weren’t just restored—they were reimagined. Dominican priest Marie-Alain Couturier said in 1943: “Better to call in geniuses without faith than believers without talent.”

[ed note: I misquoted that in the video, and incorrectly cited certain artists. Oops.]

He commissioned Chagall, Braque, Léger—quality artists, all not necessarily Catholic. The idea wasn’t to restore Gothic glories, but to speak in the language of the present. Light. Color. Form.

Gabriel Loire, working out of Chartres, pioneered dalle de verre, thick, colored glass set in concrete, turning windows into glowing mosaics of light, changing the medium entirely.

Works by Chagal, Braque, Matisse, and others followed suit.

religious purposes

The chapel is dedicated to Saint Sixtus, but which one, no one’s quite sure. There were three early popes with that name, including one martyred mid-Mass in the 3rd century. He’s the most likely of the Sixtuses. Sainthood before the 10th century was a very local affair.

Damn! This is interesting!

mostly a quiet place

Rural chapels like La Bogerais became unlikely hosts for modern art. For small villages struggling to keep chapels alive, this blend of old stones and modern glass felt like a way to keep the sacred relevant.

La Bogerais is maintained by Les Amis de la Chapelle de la Bogerais, who clearly know what they have - this is one of the better maintained chapels I’ve been in. It still draws people at Pentecost, when the community gathers for music, mass, and cider.

Anywhere curious like this that you know about?

I’d love to hear about it. Let me know in the comments below!

you can only search the web for so much…

Musical Accompaniment

Ta Rolls, ta moto, ton bateau Caline (1973)

This is the closest to a French adaptation of "Chapel of Love" by The Dixie Cups I could find.

Get it? Chapels? Yep - not so clever, but I’m sticking with it.

While the original celebrates a bride joyfully heading to the chapel to get married, Caline’s lists off her lover’s flashy possessions (his Rolls, his motorcycle, his boat) as a twist on the original. Caline did a bunch of novelty songs, keeping the bubblegum spirit of the original but swapping church vows for material possessions. It’s a bit of a rarity and isn’t hosted on major platforms.

Check it out on dailymotion here.