Discover two chapels near Le Cergne

Park in the car park behind the beautiful Arcinges Church.

(S/E) Walk down Rue du Curé to quickly reach the junction with^{the GR®765}Nord. Turn left then right to follow and descend the grassy path. Continue to the right around the bend in the D39, reaching a junction at the end of the bend.

(1) Keep left on the path; this is still the^GR® marked in white and red. Head up through the forest and, after a hairpin bend, you’ll reach the Calvaire Chapel.

(2) Continue slightly downhill until you reach a tarmac road.

(3) Turn right onto it and continue, past the tarmac, until you reach a crossroads.

(4) Leave the^GR® here, turn left and continue uphill to reach Les Harrivières. Head back down the path on the right to rejoin the^GR® at the next crossroads^.

(5) Turn left onto it and follow it to Matray. When you reach the houses, turn left onto the^GR®. Continue uphill along the edge of the woods to reach a multi-way junction in the centre of the village of Le Cergne.

(6) Head up the main road to the left and, at the Fork in the road, turn right: a sign points to the Fatima Chapel. Turn right onto Rue Bellevue and follow it to the end. Continue along the unpaved path that follows it. Further up, you’ll come to another road; take it to the left. You’ll reach a crossroads at the hamlet of Lassy.

(7) Turn right onto this road, which is also part of the^{GR® route.} Continue uphill to Fontimpe. At the top, turn left. After a 90° left-hand bend, you’ll reach the crossroads at the Fatima Chapel.

(8) Take a short detour to the Fatima Chapel (signposted as a 5-minute walk). Return to the crossroads and head left uphill into the forest. Pass an antenna and, at the highest point, reach a crossroads.

(9) Leave the^GR® again and take the path on the left, through the woods, towards Le Coucou. After a very steep descent, you’ll reach a T-junction. Turn right onto a wider track. Turn left to reach the houses at Trévandré.

(10) Continue straight ahead along the Chemin du Coucou. Leave this path shortly after passing a stone cross to take the Chemin des Noisetiers on the left. Continue through the woods to reach the houses of Bouillon.

(11) Take the road on the right, cross Bouillon, and continue along this road to reach the Croix du Fin. Turn left onto Chemin du Coucou for a few metres, then reach a four-way junction.

(12) Stay straight on along the Chemin du Coucou, then turn left off it. Continue through the forest and downhill. Shortly after leaving the forest, you’ll come to the junction with the Chemin de Foncomtal. Turn left here and finish the descent to return to the car park at Arcinges Church (S/E).

(2) Calvary Chapel: it was built in the early 19th century to fulfil a vow. Nicolas Destre, a royal notary in Arcinges during the Revolution, had been unjustly denounced. Arrested and then tried, he was forgotten away in the depths of his cell. Freed after the Reign of Terror, he returned to Arcinges and had this sanctuary built to give thanks for having his life spared.
Further on (8), on the left, is the Chapel of Our Lady of Fatima: following the rout of the French army in June 1940, the village priest made a vow to build a chapel in honour of the Virgin Mary in exchange for the protection of the local children who were facing captivity. His prayers were not in vain, as they all returned home safe and sound. The monumental cross originally erected fell during a storm, and a new cross was built, but this time leaning against a 15-metre-high tower, housing an internal staircase of 60 steps allowing visitors to climb up and admire a panoramic view of the Roanne region and the Green Beaujolais.