THE VALLEY OF THE PLAGUE
The Tinée valley is located in the centre of a region, in which during the Medieval era, dozens of chapels were erected, dedicated to the saintly protectors against the plague: Saint Dalmas le Sauvage, Santa Anne, Saint Sèbastien in the area around Saint Etienne, Roure, Roubion, Saint Dalmas, La Tour at Saint Sauveur. The Maritime Alps chapels were often in very basic architectural style, featuring highly expressive frescos cycles, the function of which was to ward off evil.

SAINT SEBASTIEN DE ROURE
A small early 16th century frescoed chapel is located on the site of an ancient castle, the frecoes being the work of a painter of Nice Andrea della Cella. The bottom wall features the figure of Christ emerging from a sarcophagus; around him is Saint Bernard holding a chained devil, and saints Sebastiano and Rocco, the saintly protectors against the plague. The side walls feature twelve compartments depicted with scenes of the lives of Saint Bernard and Saint Sebastiano. The bright colours used, the decisive brush strokes, and a rather grotesque style all help to increase terror in the dangers which afflict the soul and body.

THE MADONNA OF THE NAVAL BATTLES
The chapel of the Trinity of Saint Etienne de Tinée, features a cycle o frescoes dated 1685 dedicated to the Madonna of Good Remedy, the guardian saint of sea battles. The vault is painted with a scene of the Battle of Lepanto, which saw the victory of John of Austria over the Turks in 1571, in which many nobles of Nice participated. The Madonna dominates over the fighting fleets, while at the sides are two religious figures who recover the statue of the Madonna of Good Remedy from the hands of the Muslims. This figure is present throughout the Ligurian-Nice coastal tract, and is curiously also present in the church of San Donato in Demonte in the Stura valley.