Imperial Chapel

The Imperial chapel, in Biarritz

The Imperial chapel is a jewel of Biarritz, a private place of worship built in 1865 for Napoleon III and the empress Eugénie, with a singular architectural mixture. The Biarritz audio-guided tour stops here, with respect, to evoke this sanctuary mingling Romano-Byzantine and Hispano-Moorish styles, dedicated to Our Lady of Guadalupe, in echo of Granada, native city of the empress.

The private chapel of the empress Eugénie

The pretty chapel you glimpse is the Imperial chapel, that served as a private place of worship for Napoleon III and the empress Eugénie, to be discovered with respect. Very pious, Eugénie went regularly to church, but wished to have a place where to contemplate in private. Following the advice of their friend the writer Prosper Mérimée, she engaged the architect Émile Boeswillwald, disciple of Viollet-le-Duc, who had just completed the restoration of the Sainte-Chapelle of Paris. Built in 1865, just next to their summer residence, the chapel is distinguished by its skilful mixture of architectural styles: a little Romano-Byzantine, but also Hispano-Moorish, that recalls the architecture of Granada, the splendid native city of the empress. Eugénie dedicated her chapel to Our Lady of Guadalupe, an emblematic figure of Spain and Mexico since the sixteenth century; this Virgin, venerated in Mexico, is said to have appeared in 1531 to an indigenous man freshly baptised, founding a considerable devotion. Inside, in contemplation, you admire superb decorations of bricks, glazed ceramics and oriental motifs, in an intimate and warm atmosphere, bathed in light. Classified as a historic monument, the chapel is one of the most moving testimonies of the imperial era of Biarritz. An imperial chapel and a religious jewel, the Imperial chapel is discovered with respect.

What to see

Here you discover, with respect, the private chapel of Napoleon III and the empress Eugénie, built in 1865 by the architect Boeswillwald, disciple of Viollet-le-Duc; mingling Romano-Byzantine and Hispano-Moorish styles in echo of Granada, dedicated to Our Lady of Guadalupe, it reveals inside superb decorations of bricks, glazed ceramics and oriental motifs. The Imperial chapel is a jewel of Biarritz. It is a stop to be discovered with respect.

Practical information

The Imperial chapel lies in the heart of Biarritz, near the Hôtel du Palais, reachable on foot. A place of worship classified as a historic monument, it can be visited with respect; entry and hours follow the conditions in force, often limited to certain days and liable to vary. It is best to enquire before coming.

To whom is the Imperial chapel of Biarritz dedicated?

To Our Lady of Guadalupe, an emblematic figure of Spain and Mexico, venerated in Mexico since her supposed apparition in 1531; the empress Eugénie, native of Granada, had this private chapel built in 1865 by the architect Boeswillwald, in a mixture of Romano-Byzantine and Hispano-Moorish styles that recalls her native city, to be discovered with respect.

Where is the Imperial chapel in Biarritz?

In the heart of Biarritz, near the Hôtel du Palais, in France.