Le Pendentif

The Pendentif is a small but remarkable Renaissance funerary chapel standing just outside the cathedral. Built in 1548, it is named for its pendent keystone, a decorative element hanging from the vault interior that shows the influence of Italian Renaissance architecture. The chapel is tiny — essentially a single vaulted space — but the quality of the stonework and the confidence of the design are exceptional for a provincial commission of this date.

The chapel is generally kept locked but visible through the gate, and the exterior itself is worth examining closely. The carved details are in excellent condition, which is not always the case with 16th-century stonework exposed to the Rhône valley weather. It stands as evidence that Valence was, in the 16th century, connected to the wider European humanist culture — a university town with ambitions above its size.

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A story
The Pendentif was built in 1548 as a funerary chapel for canon Thomé de Montagne, who wanted to be buried in a structure that expressed his humanist learning and wealth. He hired an architect who had worked in Italy and understood the new Renaissance style. The result is one of the earliest and best-preserved examples of Italian Renaissance architecture in southern France — and it stands, slightly incongruously, in a corner of the cathedral precinct, not much bigger than a large garden shed.