Chapelle de l'Immaculée Conception

Chapelle de l'Immaculée Conception stands in Menton as a Baroque chapel built between 1680 and 1687. Its two-level façade frames a richly sculpted entrance. Saint Isidore and Saint Elmo occupy the lower niches, while Saint Charles Borromeo stands above them. Three statues crown the pediment with Hope, Faith, and Charity.

The chapel became the home of the White Penitents, a lay confraternity devoted to charity, penitence, and caring for the dead. Their white robes recalled medieval penitential traditions. The French Revolution closed the building in 1793, and religious use resumed in 1808. An earthquake in 1887 collapsed the vault and cracked the walls, prompting substantial repairs and later restoration. The exterior and bell tower were renewed in 1976, while the roof and floor followed in 1986.

Inside, a single nave extends about 25 metres beneath a barrel vault and opens towards a lantern-lit dome. Paintings by Rognoli and Cerutti-Maori cover the vault and dome with scenes celebrating the Immaculate Conception. A polychrome marble altar anchors the interior beneath the 40-metre square bell tower. Classified as a historic monument since 1947, the chapel also forms part of the Route du Baroque.