To spot the Chapel of Notre-Dame du Bourg, just look for a striking red-brick facade with a pyramid of arched bell openings rising above a round window and a pointed doorway right at the street’s edge - you really can’t miss its unusual shape at the corner of rue de Montesquieu and rue des Droits-de-l’Homme!
Now, imagine yourself back in medieval Agen, where just outside the first city walls, a humble chapel watched over a Christian cemetery. By the end of the 1200s, this quiet little chapel grew into a parish church called Notre-Dame du Bourg, eventually getting swept up inside Agen’s new city defenses-talk about an upgrade! But don’t get too comfy: one wild December night in 1561, as storm clouds loomed, Protestant forces seized the city, and chaos broke out-Notre-Dame du Bourg, Saint-Étienne Cathedral, and Saint-Caprais were pillaged and set ablaze. The whole event was dramatic enough to fill a Netflix series, I promise! But Agen’s spirit proved stronger than fire: the church was lovingly restored, with the south wall broken open to create a brand new aisle, and the old square end replaced by a sleek, multi-sided apse. Over time, Bishop Jules Mascaron made this a spot for heartfelt devotion, earning the nickname Notre-Dame de Grâce. The cemetery vanished in 1809 (thank you, Napoleon!), and in 1926, this survivor of storms, flames, and political upheaval earned its moment in the spotlight as a protected historic monument. Step inside, and you’ll see the sunlight dance through colorful stained glass windows by Henri Feur-vivid fragments of hope lighting up centuries of stories.
