Exterior view of the Saillant chapel

Le Saillant: a unique chapel in France

Looking for a charming village? The village of Le Saillant will satisfy your curiosity with its unique chapel in France. It is decorated entirely with stained glass windows by the painter Marc Chagall (1887-1985). This particularity allows the Salient to appear in our top 14 visits. After visiting the Saillant chapel, you can take a hike to explore our cheerful landscapes. 

5 good reasons to go to the Saillant

  1. Discover a charming village.
  2. See stained glass windows labeled “Heritage of the 20th century”.
  3. Breathe the pure Gaillard air.
  4. Being close to hiking trails.
  5. Fill up your gaillard mustache with culture.

Marc Chagall's stained glass windows

The Saillant chapel is unique in France, it is the only one which is decorated entirely with stained glass windows by the artist Marc Chagall. Guy de Lasteyrie du Saillant, descendant of the builders of the chapel, passionate about the works of Chagall, ordered the stained glass windows of the chapel from him. The Saillant chapel has six stained glass windows painted by the artists Charles Marq and Brigitte Simon in Reims between 1978 and 1982 based on models by Marc Chagall. The effects on grisaille and the finishes were, for their part, created by Chagall. 

The chapel located near the village of Voutezac is covered in stained glass windows evoking the primary values ​​of man in nature. Chagall plays with light by interweaving colored windows and grisaille windows.

View of the entrance to the Saillant chapel and its bell tower from a village street

La Création : a work by Chagall

The artwork La Création located behind the altar represents a simple landscape where water, earth and air are illuminated by the fire of the creative Spirit. Two bouquets of multicolored flowers blooming like fireworks are facing him in the rose of the portal. On the side stained glass windows, are symbolically mentioned, in gold and silver grisaille, the ground and the harvest (the bread), the vine and the grape harvest (the wine), the pasture and the lamb (the sacrifice), the river and the fish (Christ).

The Gaillarde anecdote

The bouquets represented in the work La Création reminded Chagall of the bouquets that his wife Bella brought him every morning. Chagall in Russian means "to take a long stride" and who better than him can show us how to walk in life: " In life, as on the artist's palette, there is only one color that makes sense: the color of love ".

Pratical information

When to come to the Saillant chapel?

All year round from 9:30 a.m. to 18 p.m.

How to get to Le Saillant?

  • You can arrive via Brive - Allassac, you cross a XNUMXth century bridge, the chapel is on the right.
  • You can arrive via Objat - Voutezac, the Chapel is opposite when you enter the village of Le Saillant

Our Gaillard advice

  • To spend a day rich in culture and delicacies: discover the treasures of the chapel, then in summer, enjoy the local producers' market at the water's edge. 
  • Near the Saillant chapel, you will find an EDF dam open to visitors which can complete your day in Gaillarde land.
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