Catholic chapel of Mercy is one of the oldest and perhaps the most original buildings of Cannes.

There is a chapel at the foot of the Suquet hill, right near the forville market. There are a lot of bustle and noise, as always happens near the markets, but the past of this temple will not run in a hurry: its unusual architecture always attracts attention.

Presumably the chapel was built in the late sixteenth century or early seventeenth, but just before 1620. It is small: about 26 meters in length and about 9 meters in width. It looks simple – almost to severity. Rounded wall of the Eastern facade connects with a low rectangular bell tower, topped with a small sharp spire. The spire is decorated with glazed tiles, is the only colorful spot on the building, and that is quite modest.

At first the chapel was named Notre-Dame-de-La-Misericorde-du-Bor-de-Mer (our lady of Mercy of the Sea Shore). However, at some point, the name of our lady of the Sea Shore got another local Church. Apparently, the name is not repeated, one of them is the chapel of the hill of Le Suquet is changed. Since then, all cancy know her as the chapel of Mercy.

However, many people call this small temple chapel of the Black penitents, or even shorter – Black. Surprising that folk memory has kept this fact: it is the Brotherhood of black penitents helped out in the Church for many years. The Catholic brotherhood of the penitent who practiced humility and help neighbors and different color robes, were very popular in the South of France before the revolution of 1789. During the revolution the chapel of Mercy, like many Church buildings, was expropriated. Later the Brotherhood of black penitents coming back here, but not for long – in 1860 it was disbanded, and the people still remember the name.

Now the chapel of Mercy – acting. In the morning she is usually open, you can go and explore the interior, decided in shades of gray, the same simple and austere, like the walls outside. It regularly serve the Trent Mass – the Mass in Latin in the Catholic Church after the Second Vatican Council 1962 – 1965, the infrequent phenomenon. The entrance to the chapel – not from the market, and from across the road, which carries the same great name: Misericord, that is the street of Mercy.