Collection: Adopt a Star to Save the Chapel of Saint Joseph at the Chateau de Lalande

The Chapel of Saint Joseph at Lalande was built in 1865 after the tragic death of Charles de Nadaillac, the five year-old son of the Marquis and Marquise de Nadaillac, who drowned in the chateau's ancient moat. Charles' deeply religious parents spared no expense in the building and decorating of this neo-gothic jewel. They called on the finest artisans from Toulouse, whose letters to the Marquis still remain at the chateau. Joseph Engaliere was commissioned to decorate the walls of the chapel, and he covered every square inch in lavish patterns, highlighted with real gold.

Joseph Engaliere was a well-known artist in his own lifetime, decorating many public buildings and chateaux near Toulouse, but - as he specialised in interior design - almost all of his work has been lost. The Chapel of Saint Joseph is a rare survivor teetering on the edge of disappearing forever if we don't act now.

The chapel was consecrated by the Archbishop of Bourges in 1866. It was regularly in use for the next 100 years. The local priest used to stay at the chateau once a week before giving mass in the chapel, and the Marquise used to teach catechism to the local children of the parish in the chapel. Even up to the sale of the Chateau de Lalande to Stephanie, Nic and Michael in 2005, the chapel was used by two of the current Marquis' siblings who were both priests.

The first thing Stephanie did when moving to Lalande was to re-roof the chapel, to prevent any further deterioration. Then, all of the stained glass windows were restored, one by one, whenever funds could be found.

In 2022 new problems came to light, and the chapel was deemed unstable, with its iconic star-covered ceiling at risk of collapse.

Because of the support of the patrons of The Chateau Diaries, over  €200,000 has been set aside to secure the structure of the chapel and to repair the missing vault and the fresco of the Death of Saint Joseph. The paintwork restorers are specialists who have also worked at the Chateau de Versailles and are currently restoring the Catherdral of Notre Dame in Paris.