The Little Chapel is oddly both kitsch and enchanting. The building is a complete church in miniature, and claims to be the smallest church in the world. It’s modelled on the grotto in the Church of Lourdes and every square inch is encrusted with seashells, coloured pebbles and china and glass fragments.
There’s no denying it is utterly bonkers and serves no real purpose, but it’s a popular spot for tourists.
The chapel is the third in a series of mini-chapels built on the site by a monk, Brother Deodat, in 1923-39 (a fellow monk added final touches in the years to 1965).
I can’t help but think that Brother Deodat might have made better use of his time by ministering to his flock.
It certainly is a quirky project. Do you think he did a little bit to it now and again or dedicate most of his time to building it? Maybe his parishioners weren’t too demanding of his time!
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I think he simply believed that building the chapel was something that God had called him to do. I only hope there were other priests on the island!
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I like it. What a great find for the SPSH-shells. I wonder if being a monk on an island was sometimes too much & he needed a distraction from the people & a way to use his crafting talent.
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That’s one way of looking at it!
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I think it’s quite a work of art, although I agree & wonder if he was best utilizing his time. Maybe he had others help him at times (teens, those in need) and ministered to them along the way.
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What a lot of delicate and painstaking work … If he was a Brother, he may have been part of a monastery, rather than an ordained parish priest with a ‘flock’ to care for?
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I hadn’t considered that …
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