Chapelle Saint-Bernardin

Chapelle Saint-Bernardin stands in Antibes, France, on Roman foundations and carries the memory of the White Penitents. Its dedication honours Saint Bernardin of Siena, a Franciscan preacher from Tuscany. The rue Rostan façade combines neo-Gothic lines with pinnacles shaped like hooded penitents. A walnut side door bears the date 20 March 1581. Above the portal, a winged dragon represents Lucifer beneath the cross, subdued by saints and protective angels.

Inside, four twisted gilded columns frame the baroque altar and its acanthus leaves. Sixteenth-century frescoes appear behind the altar, while a seventeenth-century retable completes the sanctuary. Statues of Saint James, Saint Sebastian, and Saint Bernardin stand beneath a trompe-l’œil ceiling. Matthew, John, Mark, Luke, Mary, Christ, and Saint Bernardin also appear in its painted decoration. Ultramarine apses carry stars, and a vaulted room displays a reproduction of Antoine Aundi’s La descente de la croix. The chapel is a historical monument and offers wheelchair access. Restoration followed a fire, preserving Roman foundations, religious artworks, and architectural layers within Antibes.