The Little Chapel

The Little Chapel, tucked into the green heart of Guernsey, is one of the island's most enchanting and unusual treasures, often described as one of the smallest working chapels in the world. Built and rebuilt from 1914 by a devoted monk, Brother Déodat, this miniature fairy-tale church is a labour of love, its every surface, inside and out, lovingly encrusted with a shimmering mosaic of seashells, coloured pebbles and thousands of fragments of broken china and pottery donated by islanders. Tiny turrets, arches and a jewel-like interior make it feel like something from a storybook. Utterly charming and unique, this glittering little chapel is a delight to discover and a testament to one man's extraordinary devotion.

History

Brother Déodat built his first chapel here in March 1914, nine feet long and four and a half wide, meant as a miniature of the grotto and basilica at Lourdes; criticised by his fellow brothers, he pulled it down and finished a second, nine feet by six, in July 1914. When the Bishop of Portsmouth visited in 1923 and could not fit through the door, Déodat pulled that one down too and began the present chapel, sixteen feet by nine. He went to France in 1939 and died there without seeing it finished. A committee took on its restoration in 1977, and today the Little Chapel Foundation looks after it; work to underpin, stabilise and weatherproof it, estimated at £500,000, ran from November 2015 until it fully reopened in April 2017 (Wikipedia, Little Chapel).

What's there

• The mosaic walls - the shimmering shell and broken-china decoration.
• The tiny interior - the jewel-like miniature chapel within.
• The turrets and arches - the fairy-tale miniature architecture.
• The story - the labour of love by Brother Déodat.

When to go

April to October brings the mildest weather and greenest surroundings for a visit, though the chapel is a quick, all-weather stop open year-round; quieter times of day are best for taking in the intricate detail without crowds. The mosaic sparkles beautifully in sunlight.

What to expect

The Little Chapel is tiny, so only a few visitors fit inside at once and it can feel busy at peak times, and a visit is naturally brief. As an utterly enchanting, one-of-a-kind miniature church encrusted with shimmering shells and broken china, a labour of love unlike anywhere else, though, the Little Chapel is a genuinely delightful treasure.

Nearby

The lanes of central Guernsey and the capital St Peter Port lie nearby.

Key facts