Visiting the Little Chapel of Guernsey was quite an experience! Personally, I hadn’t heard of this attraction until I was researching Guernsey as a port on our England, Ireland, and Scotland cruise. The history was quite interesting for this attraction, and for Guernsey overall (but that’s a post for another day!).
The Little Chapel History:
It all started with Brother Deodat who began work in March of 1914. His inspiration for this chapel was the grotto and basilica at Lourdes in France. He created three versions of this chapel, the third and final one being the one you can visit today. He tore down his first version after hearing criticism from the community, and the second version was torn down after the Bishop of Portsmouth (a large man from what I heard!) was unable to fit through the doorway on his visit.
The current chapel was the third and final attempt to create a miniature version of Lourdes. He used pebbles, shells and broken china to decorate the chapel both inside and out. Our tour guide also mentioned that he would reward the children of the village/community with sweets to bring him broken china. Based on that story, we suspect that not all of the china was broken accidentally!
Things to Know Before Visiting:
- There is no cost to get into the chapel or view the grounds. A local college manages the care of the chapel and operates solely on donations. It’s a popular attraction in Guernsey, and as such can get quite busy – especially when the cruise ships are in port!
- Most of the roads to get to the Little Chapel are very narrow with stone walls on either side. If there are large vehicles on the road, there is no room for another car to get by. We had a few instances where our tour van had to reverse to let another car by and vice versa.
- There is a little store with souvenirs, snacks and washrooms just a few minutes walk down the road. If you are looking to pick up any Little Chapel trinkets, this would be the place to get them!
- The Little Chapel is located in an isolated area, you definitely need a car or some sort of automobile transportation to get there.
Read and View More:
Want to know more about my cruise and time exploring Guernsey? Read my Norwegian Cruise review or take a look at my day in Guernsey here!
10 comments
How charming! Looks like a fun visit. There is something similar in the US (in Iowa, believe it or not) that I remember visiting as a kid. So much dedication…and he built three of them! Interesting.
What a lovely little chapel and such a nice history behind it. I do hope they maintain it. It would be sad to let it fall apart. First time I heard of Guernsey. Does it have other attractions?
Thanks for a informative post! Nice to find nice places to visit nowadays without entrance fees as well.
I’ve never seen something similar. Looks amazing and so stunning. I love the architecture, would like to visit some day!
This is a lovely little chapel! I’ve never been to Guernsey yet but it looks so pretty there. Will remember this one if I ever visit.
I can’t imagine the dedication and devotion it took to create this chapel, let alone THREE versions of it! Great little hidden-away treasure.
Interesting story behind the history of all 3. This seems like a nice cute little chapel. I wonder how many kids brought broken china.
What a cute little chapel! Have not visited the UK outside of London but Guernsey looks like a place I should add to my list.
Guernsey seems like a very charming place to explore, Sara! That Little Chapel of Guernsey seems so astonishing and definitely worth the visit. Is a day trip there enough to explore the whole place?
I have been never visit there, but its look pretty and seems that you both of you enjoyed a lot. This post i am saving for future reference when i will go there and will take same photos for my travel album. Thanks for sharing good trip experience.