This 19th century chapel is a rectangular, rib-vaulted building with a porch bell tower.
It was rebuilt in 1870 on the ruins of an earlier chapel. The statue of the Virgin Mary that surmounts the building was placed there in 1873 and comes from the Méchineix convent located in the forest, on the territory of Treix, which disappeared around 1870. A legend is attached to this statue.
Intended for installation in Bologna, it was loaded onto a cart for transport. Legend has it that the oxen responsible for pulling the cart were unable to cross the ford of the Marne after the river suddenly rose; they then refused to climb the hill linking the village to Bologna despite numerous attempts. Seeing in these mysterious events a supernatural intervention, the inhabitants of Riaucourt decided to keep the statue and install it on the Méchineix chapel.
So much for the legend, but the reality is quite different: in fact, this statue was kept in Riaucourt because nobody wanted it anywhere else; in fact, the people of Bologne already had a chapel dedicated to St Bologne and those of Treix didn't want to go to the trouble of building one, which is why it remained here. The chapel then enjoyed a peaceful existence for many years, barely disturbed by the annual pilgrimage on the 1st Sunday in September. But one fine morning in February 1958, everything changed, and the peace turned to drama. NATO was carrying out aerial manoeuvres in the region and a Dutch plane suddenly found itself in difficulty. Without giving too much thought to the consequences, the pilot ejected above Roches sur Rognon, The pilotless plane didn't crash immediately and continued on its way, landing low over the Méchineix chapel. The right wing then hit the chapel, partially destroying the roof and the back of the building. The impact altered the plane's trajectory and it sped off towards Riaucourt, crashing into the Marne. The plane broke up without exploding and debris was scattered along the left bank. As for the reactor, which remained intact, it continued on its course for more than 200 m, fortunately channelled by the bed of the Marne and partially cooled by the water of the river. So it's fair to say that on that morning in 1958, we came close to tragedy and avoided a major catastrophe, perhaps by pure chance, or because Our Lady of Méchineix was watching over the village? The answer is up to you! The chapel was of course rebuilt and renovated around ten years ago.
Chapelle de Méchineix à Riaucourt
