Tucked away in amongst the busy thoroughfares of Bordeaux are a couple of covered arcades which offer a time capsule-like glimpse into the shopping malls of yesteryear.

 

Our first stop is the elegant Passage Sarget, which connects Place du Chapelet with Cours de l’Intendance. Opened in 1878, the arcade is named after Baron Sarget, a local dignitary (his mansion house was located nearby) who funded its construction.

In 1917, Passage Sarget was purchased by the wine trader Nicolas Désiré-Cordier. Just two years later he sold it on to the city of Bordeaux for 1 million francs. The city was keen to acquire the passageway because pedestrians far preferred walking through the arcade to the road that runs parallel, Rue Martignac, which was considered unsafe at the time.

Top left is Rue Martignac, which is possibly not as rough as it once was.

During later renovations, archaeological digs took place and uncovered the traces of ancient baths and mosaics. Some objects which were retrieved dated back to the 1st century… Don’t expect to be able to enjoy a hot bath there now though; the arcade is solely comprised of luxury shops and tearooms! However, the atmosphere is unique, thanks in part to the arcade’s glass roof and metal framework, which for many years was obscured by a suspended ceiling.

Elegant features, classy shops and all within easy reach of the tram!

The second, slightly older exhibit is Galerie Bordelaise, which forms an unusual diagonal channel through the middle of its surrounding buildings, between Rue des Piliers de Tutelle and Rue Sainte-Catherine. This arcade was the work of the architect Gabriel-Joseph Durand and opened for the first time in April 1834. It had initially been funded by four rich South-American traders who had fled war in Mexico.

Possibly the most timeless of the thirteen trade units in the arcade is the Verdeun scale model and toy shop. As well as its arcade-side entrance, the roadside shopfront of this store is particularly charming (which also features in a blog item dedicated to Bordeaux shop fronts). The shop was founded in 1948 by Maurice Verdeun, a successful track cyclist who won a world championship title in 1950! His sons Bruno and Frédéric now run the shop.

Despite undergoing renovations, funded by the outlets themselves (which also include a bicycle shop, a shoe shop, a café, a chemists and a theatre and concert booking office), the arcade is looking the worse for wear: cracked windowpanes, peeling paintwork and moulded or sculpted features that need attention. Furthermore, a number of the units are currently unoccupied and have been for some time. Will Galerie Bordelaise ever make a full recovery and enjoy the kind of golden period it experienced a century ago?

For it was here that, in 1896, a young man called Albert Mollat took over a small bookshop that had previously belonged to his cousin (I have yet to work out which Galerie Bordelaise unit it was located in). Mollat adopted an ambitious pricing strategy, branched out into publishing itself and by 1928 the shop had outgrown its premises. It moved to a new location, taking over property on the spot of the final Bordeaux living quarters of the writer and thinker Montesquieu. The shop, which is still called Mollat, is part of the genetic makeup of anyone who lives in Bordeaux. It has continued to flourish and expand, and today ranks as the biggest independent bookshop in France.

> Find them on the Invisible Bordeaux map: Passage Sarget, Galerie Bordelaise, Mollat bookshop, Bordeaux.

As reported in the previous Invisible Bordeaux item, in the early years of the 20th century, the small community of Croix d’Hins became synonymous with its airfield. But as the airfield faded into obscurity, Croix d’Hins provided the setting for the construction of the world’s most powerful radio transmitter station.

The eight-pylon station, which covered an area of 400 metres by 1,200 metres (the equivalent of 96 football pitches!), was a by-product of the First World War. During the conflict, ocean-bed telephone cables were severed and alternative means of long-range communication had to be explored. At the time, radiotelegraphy (or TSF in French, télégraphie sans fil) was developing rapidly and when the US joined Allied operations in 1917, they needed a reliable and permanent communications channel between Europe and the States.

The quiet village of Croix d’Hins, a district of Marcheprime that lies mid-way between Bordeaux and Arcachon, is a succession of residential streets broken up solely by the occasional small industrial plant. This image is far-removed from its status as one of the birthplaces of aviation (and later large-scale radio transmission). For the full story, let’s travel back in time to 1903!

For it was around this time that the flat expanses of land in Croix d’Hins were deemed to be an ideal setting for an airfield by the pioneering pilots and aircraft builders Louis Blériot and Gabriel Voisin. Space was cleared on a stretch alongside the railway line and these early aviators found themselves with 7,400 acres (3,000 hectares) to play with, making Croix d’Hins one of the biggest airfields in the world at the time! Blériot made good use of the installations, trialling a number of his creations there.

Thanks to everyone who took part in the photo contest organised jointly with the Bonjour Bordeaux daily photo website and the Tapa’l’oeil tapas bar.

Over recent weeks we had asked for photos that captured an unusual sight or scene in and around Bordeaux. On Thursday July 4th, a select gathering assessed 25 submissions and the winning photo is this one by Clacla des Bois. It shows a familiar sight, the two 21-metre-high rostral columns which have watched over the Esplanade des Quinconces since 1829, as viewed from an unfamiliar angle: instead of the wide, open space of the Esplanade, they are peeking through a blanket of trees, making for an unusual urban forest!

The Médoc village of Cussac-Fort-Médoc boasts one of the most grandiose sights in the area: the 17th-century Fort Médoc, one of three fortified structures that make up “le verrou de l’Estuaire” (the bolt of the Gironde estuary), dreamt up by the military architect and engineer Vauban.

The story goes that in 1685, Sébastien Le Prestre, better-known as Marquis de Vauban, was surveying the Atlantic coast. Vauban had been appointed Marshal of France (the country’s highest military distinction) under Louis XIV and was on the lookout for any location that might undermine the Sun King’s authority. Assessing the citadel of Blaye, which had often proved vulnerable to British invaders, he established that it would have to be strengthened and that the Estuary as a whole needed to be “locked” in order to protect the city of Bordeaux, further upstream.

When arriving in the suburban town of Eysines from Le Taillan-Médoc, we are greeted by a strange sight in the middle of a roundabout: a giant smiling potato that appears to have jumped straight out of a picture drawn by a child. 

And that is more or less exactly what happened: the giant potato and the design of the roundabout are the work of local schoolchildren (members of the junior town council)… and celebrates the special relationship the town of Eysines has with its potatoes.

It is all thanks to the “Vallée des Jalles” which runs through the town. “Jalles”, which make regular appearances on Invisible Bordeaux, are a large network of streams and rivers that flow eastwards towards the Garonne and the Gironde Estuary.

For many years here in Eysines, watermills made good use of the water power generated by the Jalle d'Eysines to produce flour which was then sold on to customers in Bordeaux. Today’s most visible remnant is the magnificent Moulin Blanc, which now operates as "Bistrot de la Jalle" a scenic reception venue and restaurant.

In the surrounding wetlands, the rich soil was used to produce vegetables, so much so that the area became known as “le potager de Bordeaux” (the vegetable garden of Bordeaux).  The output centred around a local variety of potato – la pomme de terre d’Eysines – and production peaked towards the end of the 19th century, partly because further plots previously used for cultivating vines were also converted into potato patches after a number of outbreaks of the vine-killing pest phylloxera. Other local delicacies included (and still include) the “giraumon brodé galeux d’Eysines”, a pumpkin-like vegetable with particularly thick and rough skin (best enjoyed as soup). It is thought that around 600 people contributed to vegetable production at the time. Today around 15 separate agricultural units continue to operate.

But how about the Eysines potato itself? Well, for the sake of research, I personally purchased a few samples from a roadside vegetable stall, and followed the recommended two-step recipe to get the most out of them: first cook the potatoes (either boiling water or steam will do) and then gently fry them in butter and oil. When peeling off the surpisingly thin skin, I was struck by how firm the potatoes were, and by how pale they were.

The boiling water stage didn't last long; after barely five minutes I sensed the firmness had gone and they were ready to be transferred to the frying pan, and seasoned with a pinch or two of salt and pepper. A few more minutes down the line and they were ready for consumption and, in all honesty, they were absolutely delicious and truly lived up to their reputation for tasting particularly sweet (all to do with the damp soil and jalles water) and refined – no wonder they were the de rigueur potato on board the luxury cruise liner Le France back in the day…

The Eysines potatoes being put to the test in the Invisible Bordeaux kitchen:
covered with soil before being peeled, then the two-step boil and fry sequence.
Consume and enjoy!

But don’t just take my word for it: an association known as “Confrérie de la Pomme de Terre d’Eysines” was founded a number of years ago, with volunteers acting as ambassadors at culinary events throughout the country to promote the wonder vegetable of Eysines. The organisation is also one of the driving forces behind the annual celebratory “Fête de la Patate” held every year in Eysines. Over three days, concerts, public dances and general potato-themed festivities bring hundreds of people together. 

The municipality itself has also sought to promote and develop its vegetable-growing credentials in recent years by organising exhibitions and workshops for children and their parents, and by creating a farmer's hut and “jardin pédagogique” where locals can familiarise themselves with the joys of cultivating vegetables.

And, since 2005, the vast vegetable-growing area has provided the backdrop to a popular running race every spring, the “Raid des Maraîchers”. But no need to hold on until the next Raid takes place to visit the area which, along the banks of the Jalle d'Eysines and in amongst the fertile vegetable patches, provides a charming and idyllic setting for a gentle stroll, jog or bicycle ride, and all a mere ten kilometres from the geographical centre of Bordeaux!

Some of the scenery to take in, including (bottom left) an example of the rudimentary lock systems used to regulate the flow of streams throughout the area.

> Find them on the Invisible Bordeaux map: Moulin Blanc and the vegetable-growing area, Potato roundabout, Eysines.
> Ce dossier est également disponible en français ! 

The time has come for another tour of some of the faded hand-painted signs - or, if you will, ghost signs - to be found in and around Bordeaux, and which are to be admired and savoured before they fade away for good... and all of which can be located in the slowly-expanding dedicated GoogleMap!

This first unusual find can be spotted on the walls of a house on Cours du Médoc, one of the main arteries into the city centre from the north. In case you're wondering, the house is number 180... although this is easy to work out as three generations of 180s are still very much visible above a sign that still promises "chambres garnies à louer" (furnished rooms for rent - thanks to Twitter correspondents for helping me decipher the phrase!). This suggests the building was previously a guest-house possibly providing mid- to long-term accommodation.

Elsewhere, an information panel is a mass of information about this "maritime bar-restaurant" which offered wines and liqueur (as well as "café, bière & limonade") over the counter. At one time, some of the wording must have been painted over existing information but now everything appears at the same level. What, though, would have been "consommations de 1ères marques"? Any ideas? [Find it]

**

Over in Bourg-en-Gironde, this old advert for Bassereau "méthode champenoise" Champagne-like sparkling wine is still discernible. The Bassereau family produced this wine in Saumur, Vouvray, Bourgogne, Champagne as well as here in the Bordeaux region, more specifically in the Côtes de Bourg area on the banks of the Garonne river/Gironde estuary, where the underground caves cut into the hillside provided ideal conditions for nurturing and producing sparkling wine. Further information can be found on the website of Château de la Grave, where the Bassereau family first began producing this unique Bordeaux bubbly, and where the output of "Poliane brut" continues to uphold the local tradition. [Find it]

**

Staying in Bourg, this large-scale hand-painted map is accompanied by a message which directly addresses those who are passing through: "Touristes... vous êtes dans la région des vins des Côtes de Bourg" (Tourists... you are in the Côtes de Bourg wine region). The credit for the sign painters (Nel-Dey publicité Bordx?) is arguably more visible today than the remainder of the message! [Find it]

**

And while we're on the subject of wine, here are traces of the elegant signage above what used to be a wine trader in Bordeaux, on Rue Goya. This former commercial unit also appears to have lost a window over the course of time. It's not always this sunny, by the way. [Find it]

**

This painted sign announcing "Hippodrome du Bouscat" runs along the top of one of the perimeter walls of the Bordeaux-Le Bouscat racecourse. The letters, painted green on white, are gradually peeling away. What is more, they are also having to contend with the onslaught of some vociferous ivy. There is a bit of mystery about this one though: why is the name "F. Massart" embedded, mosaic-like fashion, in the wall? F. Massart, if you're reading this, please get in touch! [Find it]

**

Avenue de la Libération is the main street that runs through Le Bouscat, and is set for a makeover in the coming years with the construction of the all-new line D of the tram network. Some of the exposed walls still sport the logos of yesteryear such as this star-shaped symbol of Caltex, the petroleum arm of the Chevron corporation. Although still present in some parts of the world, the brand Caltex (originally a contraction of California Texas Oil Company) has now been superseded by Chevron itself. [Find it]

This second find on Avenue de la Libération is another case of adverts painted at different periods now tussling for space. On the left half of the wall is an ad for the wine-based apéritif Dubonnet (as discussed in a previous collection of ghost signs), while to the right we may (or may not) be looking at the R and H of a Byrhh logo... advertising a rival wine-based apéritif (as also discussed in a previous item). [Find it]

**

This more recent advert on Cours de la Martinique provides another opportunity to cross-reference with a previous item as it promotes "Meubles Bayle", the furniture outlet founded in Bordeaux in 1854 that went on to become a complex of different shops on Cours d'Albret and continues to live on as Le Village du Meuble in Mérignac. [Find it]

**

This jaunt finishes up in Saint-Loubès and the wall of this house which promotes a neighbouring tree nursery. The six-digit phone number is particularly charming... and there's a fair chance that the painted letters and numbers pre-date the first-floor window, which has cancelled out a substantial part of the name and trade description! [Find it]

• Other Invisible Bordeaux ghost sign features here, here and here.

Think of a typical Parisian scene and there’s every chance it will feature the unmistakeable silhouette of a Wallace drinking fountain… but a handful can also be spotted in Bordeaux!

These elegant cast-iron public drinking fountains, designed in 1872 by the French sculptor Charles-Auguste Lebourg, were originally commissioned by an Englishman in Paris, the wealthy art collector and philanthropist Richard Wallace (1818-1890 and buried at Père-Lachaise cemetery in Paris). Wallace’s fortune had been inherited from his father and, as his adopted hometown suffered during the 1870 Franco-Prussian War, Wallace put his riches to altruistic use, first funding two field hospitals and then donating to the city 50 of these drinking fountains, aimed at offering sources of free drinking water to the homeless and needy.

Two differing models (large and applied models) were originally conceived, Wallace establishing criteria that had to be met in terms of height (tall enough to be seen from afar but not so tall as to destroy the harmony of the surrounding landscape), form (practical and pleasing to the eye), affordable price and materials (resistant, easy to shape and simple to maintain). Two further variants followed (small and colonnade models) but, ultimately, the most iconic design was to be the large model.

The classic Wallace fountain is 2.71 metres tall and incorporates an octagonal pedestal on which four caryatids (representing kindness, simplicity, charity and sobriety) are affixed with their backs turned and their arms supporting a pointed dome decorated by dolphins. The water, now activated by a foot pedal, is distributed in a trickle that falls from the centre of the dome down into a basin. Originally produced by the Val d’Osne foundry in north-eastern France, Wallace fountains continue to be manufactured in the same region by GHM in Sommevoire.

In 1873, soon after the first fountains were installed in Paris, the wealthy banker Daniel Iffla (1825-1907, better-known as Daniel Osiris) decided to follow Wallace’s lead in Bordeaux. Osiris funded the purchase of six Wallace fountains, stipulating they be located at points throughout the city that had been recommended to him by a city waterworks engineer. One of these locations was on Place des Augustins (now Place du Général-Sarrail), symbolically near to Osiris’s birthplace.

The fountain remained there until 2003, when it was relocated to Place Stalingrad on the right bank of the Garonne. At the time the fountain didn't fit in with the plans of urban architect Jean-Michel Wilmotte, who had been commissioned to modernise Rue Sainte-Catherine - which runs along one side of the small triangular square. But a campaign was led by photographer and writer Richard Zéboulon to have the fountain returned to Place du Général-Sarrail, out of respect for the memory of Osiris's generous contributions to the city. Zéboulon managed to convince the Mairie to backtrack and the fountain is now back in its original position:

Two other 1873-vintage fountains can also still be seen in the Jardin Public and in the gardens of Palais Rohan, the city hall:

Some mystery surrounds the other three original fountains, which were reportedly positioned on what is now Place des Martyrs-de-la-Résistance, Place Gambetta and near Saint-Michel church. It is thought they disappeared during the Second World War, before later re-emerging: one can now be seen at the cultural centre in nearby Créon; the second ended up on the island of Grenada in the West Indies, where it was destroyed by a hurricane; the third recently turned up for sale at an auction. Furthermore, on old photos a further fountain can be spotted on the waterfront near the Lainé warehouse, now the city's modern art museum (see pictures here and here). It has yet to be established whether this is an additional fountain or one that was later positioned elsewhere!

More recent fountains, produced by GHM around the turn of the millennium, have been installed throughout the city. This includes Place Stalingrad, where the Général-Sarrail fountain had been a temporary resident. Loyal readers will recognise the former Théâtre Alcazar in the background!

Similarly, this next fountain is the focal point of another former blog subject: Place Georges-de-Porto-Riche, in the side-streets between Rue Sainte-Catherine and Place de la Bourse.

A little further north, this fountain, painted a paler shade of green than its counterparts, can be seen on the scenic Place Mitchell, named after the Irishman who founded the city's first glassworks, creating the bottles that enabled Bordeaux to launch its international wine export trade.

Finally, heading back towards the riverside, this fountain is to be spotted on Cours Xavier-Arnozan:

And that is the end of the Wallace fountain tour of Bordeaux. Or perhaps not, because there is evidence of an eighth fountain on Place Jacques-Lemoîne, in a part of the city that has undergone a radical overhaul and has been transformed into a shopping mall: Promenade Sainte Catherine. Whatever has happened to the Wallace fountain that was there? If you know, get in touch!

You can also enjoy a video version of this feature:

Click here if video does not display properly on your device.

> Find them on the Invisible Bordeaux map: Place du Général Sarrail, Jardin Public, Jardin de l'Hôtel de Ville, Place Stalingrad, Place Porto-Riche, Place Mitchell, Cours Xavier-Arnozan.
> If you're tempted to purchase your own Wallace Fountain, check out the GHM website. Or else content yourself with seeing how they're made in this video report or viewing this fine introduction to the fountains.
> And if you think Wallace fountains deserve whole websites to themselves, you will enjoy membres.multimania.fr/savoy and www.fontaine-wallace.info (the latter is solely focused on Wallace fountains in Paris).  
> Lire cet article en français !

Tour Pey-Berland, the bell tower of Saint-André cathedral, is justifiably one of the most popular tourist attractions in Bordeaux. Climbing up the 231 steps to the top, two wooden doors are usually locked, keeping the bell chamber out of reach of the general public. 

However, taking up an offer made by Antoine (also known as the blogger MystickTroy), a member of staff at the tower, Invisible Bordeaux was given an access-all-areas tour and was able to view the four cathedral bells in all their glory!

Bordeaux is naturally associated with the Garonne, but historically the city developed along the banks of two smaller rivers which ran into the Garonne: the Devèze and the Peugue. Both streams continue to flow but, in central Bordeaux, have been driven underground. Invisible Bordeaux decided to follow the course of the Devèze to find out what remains of this significant river today.

The Devèze emerges from the undergrowth in Mérignac, just east of the runway of Mérignac airport. The source is easy to locate: a prominent permanent advert for the Sexy Center sex shop can be seen nearby! Whilst in its infancy, the Devèze runs behind a number of nondescript office buildings and bus depots. A path runs alongside it but there are a number of obstacles along the way… cyclists take note!

The point where the Devèze emerges from the ground, easily located (possibly even from planes coming in to land)
thanks to the Sexy Center ad nearby!

Less than one kilometre downstream, next to a Siemens facility, the river disappears underground for the first time, although it soon becomes clear that the enormous pipes go on to feed an artificial lake, or rather the Beaudésert “bassin de stockage des eaux de pluie” (rainwater storage reservoir), also known to anglers as Étang Innolin. This scenic expanse of water is part of a wider network of large plots designed to regulate the flow of streams and rainwater to avoid flooding in central Bordeaux (a standalone subject that features elsewhere on the blog). 

The Siemens offices where the Devèze disappears underground before flowing into Étang Innolin.

The Devèze is subsequently channelled back underground and passes below the Rocade ringroad (more or less where a Buffalo Grill restaurant can be seen) and then into central Mérignac. At this stage it flows through an area where leafy forests have continued to be maintained, and yet there is no sign of the Devèze on the surface. It does later re-emerge though, hemmed in by concrete walls but sided by a short, scenic pedestrian-only walkway which has, appropriately enough, been called “l’aire piétonne la Devèze”. 

The approximate points where the Devèze passes, unnoticed, under the Rocade ringroad and central Mérignac, before re-emerging and getting its own footpath!

The Devèze then enjoys a starring role in the Parc de Bourran, the grounds of a mansion where vines were cultivated for many years until a landscape gardener, one Louis Le Breton, overhauled the terrain towards the end of the 19th century. Le Breton made use of the Devèze to create a large pond which can still be seen today. The Devèze also feeds a spectacular artificial waterfall before flowing under a “Medieval” bridge, installed in 1890 as part of Le Breton’s designs, although it is uncertain whether the bridge came from elsewhere or whether it was built specifically for Parc de Bourran.

The "Medieval" bridge.

The Parc de Bourran waterfall, pond and the spot where the Devèze makes a discreet exit from the park.

From the park the Devèze flows down large pipes and through a small area of overgrown greenery, before being conducted beneath a railway line. This is, from what I can make out, the last we see of the Devèze at ground level (and it is not at its most beautiful by now: during the short time I was there the sight of two rats reminded me that the river was used as a natural sewer for many years). 

The last sight of the Devèze before having to resort to street-names to plot its course.

From then on, plotting the course of the Devèze was a case of cross-referencing between Googlemaps and documents produced by the greater Bordeaux authority (Communauté Urbaine de Bordeaux, CUB), although there are other tell-tale signs that the Devèze is never far away: shortly after the railway bridge, still in Mérignac, come Rue de la Devèze and Square de la Devèze. These are followed by street-names that serve as a reminder of the water-reliant trades that used to be there, such as Rue des Lavoirs (wash-houses) and Rue des Teinturiers (textile dyers). Every now and then, the sound of fast-flowing water can also be heard through manhole covers. The Devèze enters Bordeaux proper along the southern edge of Chartreuse cemetery. There too, the street-name hints at what lies below: we are on Bordeaux's Rue de la Devèze. 

In past times, from here the Devèze flowed more or less in a straight line towards the area where Saint-Pierre church can now be seen. This was where the city’s earliest port was located up until the 10th century, by which time the waters of Port Saint-Pierre had become too clogged up with mud.

Further upstream, the Devèze was partly diverted towards the Peugue, and the port area was gradually built over. Near Place Saint-Pierre, on Rue de la Devise (a name by which the Devèze was also known), an information panel now refers to the bygone presence of the river. Meanwhile, the commercial heart of the city developed around the Peugue (most notably around what is now Place Fernand-Lafargue) but the Peugue riverside areas became notoriously rough and insalubrious. To eradicate this, throughout the 17th and 18th centuries work was carried out to drive the flowing water underground for good. The channelling operation was eventually complete in 1868.   

Rue de la Devise and Place Saint-Pierre, where the city's earliest port was located, fed by the Devèze.

The Devèze’s permanently diverted course now takes it through the Mériadeck quarter ahead of meeting up with the Peugue - which has similarly made its way into Bordeaux from Pessac - around the junction between Cours d’Albret and Rue des Frères Bonie. Once again, from then on, tracking the course of today’s dual underground river involves map-assisted guesswork, although it is generally acknowledged that the waters flow under Cours d’Alsace-et-de-Lorraine through a pipe which is 4.80 metres wide and 3.30 metres high. The presence of the merged rivers is even highlighted in a bas-relief sculpture that can be spotted on the corner of the Cours and Rue Sainte-Catherine: the sculpture features the goddess Divona (the goddess of divine sources, from which the name Devèze derives) and a male counterpart (representing the Peugue, which derives from the Latin pelagus, meaning the overflowing waters of a river). 

The approximate point where the Peugue and Devèze meet, as later celebrated in this bas-relief.

The two streams complete their course with a man-managed concrete-and-metal outlet on the banks of the Garonne, releasing water into the city’s main river as and when deemed necessary.  

An unceremonious end to the trek, near the Pont de Pierre.

In all, the waters of the Devèze have flowed 10.45 kilometres from the Mérignac source to the banks of the Garonne. Hidden away for much of that time, it is now difficult to conceive how vital the river once was to the city, as testified by the 4th-century Latin poet and teacher Ausonius who wrote this about the Devèze: "Hail fountain of source unknown, holy, gracious, unfailing, crystal clear, azure, deep, murmorous, shady, and unsullied. Hail, guardian deity of our city, of whom we may drink health-giving draughts, named by the Celts Divona - a fountain added to the roll divine!"  

You can also enjoy a video version of this feature:

Click here if video does not display properly on your device.

• Find it: full course of Devèze river plotted in blue on Invisible Bordeaux map along with individual markers for the source, Étang Innolin, Parc de Bourran, Place Saint-Pierre and the outlet on the Garonne.
• Big thanks to Michel D. who informed me about the Ausonius poem (see p284 here).

We find ourselves in Pyla-sur-Mer, and tucked away in one of the quiet residential districts, just a few hundred metres inland from the waters of the Bassin d’Arcachon, is a curious church: la Chapelle Saint-Esprit.

The chapel is a seasonal operation, with masses held there solely during the summer holiday period, in July and August, at hours which are part of a rota that includes five other churches in and around Arcachon. What sets la Chapelle Saint-Esprit apart from most churches is its unusual seating plan, which includes a number of pews which are permanently stationed in an area which, though under cover, is very much out in the open air, so that the congregation can combine prayers, hymn-singing and worship with the pleasant sensation of experiencing the cool breeze blowing through the surrounding pines.

All very unusual, but not unique in the area. There are in fact other open air chapels across Arcachon Bay in Cap Ferret (Chapelle de Piraillan) and further up the coast in Longarisse, near Lacanau (Chapelle Saint-François d'Assise). Back in Pyla-sur-Mer, the church was completed in 1975 to the modern designs of the Parisian architect Xavier Huvelin. Locals also played a large part in the project. On a plaque, the Labbé family is credited as having been the “generous” instigators of the chapel, which was built on land donated by the Maysonnave family.

The plaque also harks back to the visit of Bordeaux archbishop Monseigneur Maziers, whose decision it was to give the chapel its name (which means “of the Holy Spirit”). One Robert Marcou is referred to as parish priest although contemporary accounts claim that many early masses were led by clergymen who just happened to be on holiday in the area at the time!

Further information about the chapel is surprisingly hard to come by. One interesting titbit is that the elegant triangular belltower had to be totally rebuilt in 2003 after the original was brought to its knees by an army of hungry house longhorn beetles (Hylotrupes bajulus, or simply “capricornes” in French). And prior to this modern construction, a small barn-like wooden chapel had stood more or less in its place since 1935.

The original 1935 chapel (source: Mémoire en images, Pyla-sur-Mer).

It would be great to know a little more about this peculiar place of worship and its open-air gatherings… it may be a case of returning there for a mass over the summer! 

> Find it: Allée de la Chapelle, Pyla-sur-Mer.

> Thanks to Harvey for providing information about the other open-air chapels in the region!

In the Pierroton district of Cestas, just off the main road that leads from Bordeaux to Arcachon, a monument to the agronomist François Jules Hilaire Chambrelent can be seen. It was Chambrelent’s work throughout the 19th century that went some way towards making much of les Landes of south-western France the pleasant and hospitable place we are familiar with today.

In the past, it had been a very different story. South of Bordeaux, the inland area was a succession of vast, barren plains that were frequently flooded. This extensive sandy marshland, which became known to many as the “French Sahara”, was a particular challenge to many pilgrims as they headed south towards Santiago de Compostela in north-western Spain.