Imperial chapel and Fesch Palace

The Imperial Chapel and the Palais Fesch, in Ajaccio

The Imperial Chapel and the Palais Fesch form, with respect, one of the great ensembles of Ajaccio: a fine arts museum born from the collection of Cardinal Fesch, uncle of Napoleon, and a chapel sheltering the burials of the Bonaparte family. The Ajaccio audio-guided tour stops here to evoke this place of memory and art wanted by the prelate and completed by Napoleon III.

Cardinal Fesch, art and the crypt of the Bonaparte

Here you are in front of the statue of Cardinal Fesch, the museum that bears his name and the Imperial Chapel that we owe to him. But who was this cardinal? Born in Ajaccio, archbishop of Lyon and died in Rome, Joseph Fesch was the uncle of Napoleon the first and a great collector of art. The museum that bears his name, the Palais Fesch, keeps today one of the richest collections of Italian painting in France, testimony of the passion of this enlightened prelate. At his death, Napoleon III decided to honour the testament of his great-uncle and to have an Imperial Chapel built, in order to gather in a single place the burials of the Bonaparte family. The place was financed by the funds left by the cardinal, completed by Napoleon III, and entrusted in 1857 to the architect of the crown. The chapel, raised in stone of Saint-Florent, forms the south wing of the Palais Fesch, built some twenty years earlier. The Latin inscription of its pediment is dedicated to Marie-Letizia, the mother of the emperor. In the crypt rest, in contemplation, several members of the Bonaparte family, among whom the parents of Napoleon. Classified historic monument, the chapel is a place of memory marked by gravity, where you measure the singular destiny of this Corsican family become imperial. A dynastic sanctuary and a setting of art, the Imperial Chapel and the Palais Fesch are discovered with respect.

What to see

Here you discover, with respect, the Palais Fesch, fine arts museum born from the rich collection of Italian painting of Cardinal Joseph Fesch, uncle of Napoleon, and its Imperial Chapel, raised from 1857 on the will of Napoleon III to gather the burials of the Bonaparte family; in stone of Saint-Florent, classified historic monument, it shelters the crypt where rest several members of the family. The Imperial Chapel is a place of memory of Ajaccio. It is a stop to be discovered with respect.

Practical information

The Imperial Chapel and the Palais Fesch lie on the Rue du Cardinal Fesch, in the heart of Ajaccio, reachable on foot. The museum and the chapel follow their own days and opening hours, which vary according to the season, the access to the chapel being mainly in summer. Entry is generally subject to a fee; it is best to enquire before coming and to respect the character of memory of the place.

Who rests in the Imperial Chapel of Ajaccio?

Several members of the Bonaparte family, among whom the parents of Napoleon; this chapel, raised from 1857 on the will of Napoleon III to gather the burials of the family, forms the south wing of the Palais Fesch, the fine arts museum born from the collection of Cardinal Joseph Fesch, uncle of the emperor.

Where are the Imperial Chapel and the Palais Fesch in Ajaccio?

On the Rue du Cardinal Fesch, in the heart of Ajaccio, in Corsica.