History of the Chapel
“Vestige of a 12th-century leper hospital, it has spanned the ages to experience an astonishing rebirth under the brush of Jean Cocteau.”
A 12th-Century Leper Hospital
The Saint‑Blaise des Simples Chapel is the sole remaining evidence of a 12th-century leper colony. Saint Blaise was renowned as a healer, treating both humans and animals through prayer and, above all, medicinal plants known as "simples".
Set apart from the village, this hospital housed lepers until the 16th century. Only the chapel survived the demolitions of the 18th century.
The Sleeping Chapel
“An old beggar woman crouching by the roadside, surrounded by fields of medicinal plants that spread their scents over the little town of Milly.”
The Rebirth
In the late 1950s, Mayor Pierre Darbonne asked Jean Cocteau to restore the chapel. The poet, touched by the charm of this "sleeping beauty", chose the "Simples" (medicinal plants) as the theme for his wall decorations.
By decree of May 6, 2015, the Minister of Culture classified the Saint‑Blaise des Simples Chapel as a historical monument.
The preliminary study for the restoration of the frescoes was launched following the decision of the Milly‑la‑Forêt Town Council in June 2015.
Restoration work took place between 2023 and 2025.