Chapelle Saint-Joseph de La Grave

The most distinct feature of the Chapelle Saint-Joseph de La Grave is the massive, copper-covered dome that dominates the skyline of the left bank of the Garonne. This chapel served the hospital that grew on this site starting in the mid-eighteenth century. During the revolutionary era, authorities repurposed the building as a storehouse for saltpeter to manufacture gunpowder. Workers hauled tons of salt into the nave, leaving the interior space permanently altered by the corrosive chemicals used to secure the city.