Chapelle Saint-Laurent

Chapelle Saint-Laurent is a church in Menton, in France’s Alpes-Maritimes region, serving the Garavan neighbourhood. Its yellow-ochre façade gives the building a distinct presence. The chapel brings French and Italian parishioners together for regular worship within the local community. The bell tower rises above the window grilles.

Inaugurated in 1882, the building was raised in 1930 before water infiltration and loose cornices threatened its exterior. The base also showed wear. A restoration lasting more than five months repaired the façade, roof, and grilles, while adding gutters and a drainage channel. The work followed the original style. The restoration also followed consultation with an architect from France’s historic-buildings service. The project cost more than €127,000. The chapel remained open to the public behind scaffolding during the work.

The exterior received a sunny yellow-ochre limewash that preserved the building’s original appearance. Anti-pigeon spikes guard the reliefs. The tympanum fresco depicting Saint Lawrence remained in excellent condition and required no restoration. It still marks the chapel’s façade.