The Chapel of Our Lady of the Temple was once part of the Franciscan Congregation founded by Abbé Pierre-Auguste ROUGIER (1818-1895), attached to the Third Order of St. Francis (circa 1860).

The founder very quickly developed a liking for art; he went to Paris where he was noted for his talent as a portrait painter. He also taught dance there !

On the death of his father in 1848, he entered the seminary in Limoges; he was first appointed as curate in Saint Junien (1850) and then became the parish priest of Salles Lavauguyon (1852) where he was very active.

In 1856 he moved to Le Dorat, in the Haute Vienne, with his mother, his sister Louise Rougier (Sister Claire of Assissi), Marie Rambaut (Sister Agnès) and Maria Vergnaud (Sister Angéline and Leader of the congregation), at the current address 3 Rue Saint Michel.

1858, saw the creation of the Association of Mary Immaculate of the Temple, which provided medical and material assistance to priests in order to meet various needs. The sisters made household linens and garments and liturgical items.

To begin with, the community gathered in the oratory which corresponds to the current choir of the chapel. However, as the congregation increased, there was a need to acquire residential buildings and stables adjoining the property, firstly to provide housing for the community and secondly to build a chapel.

It was not until around 1898 that the chapel grew to its current size.

Many fine decorations still exist: stained glass windows signed by Gustave Pierre DAGRAND (1839-1915), master glassmaker from Bordeaux, mouldings, stucco and painted floral decorations all bear witness to Abbé ROUGIER's artistic talent.

In the 1950s and 1960s, the community started to leave Le Dorat and little by little the property was divided up and sold off.

It was at the end of 2014 that the last remaining buildings were sold; the mother house became a dwelling and the chapel became a space for exhibitions and shows.

The association "Les rendez-vous de la Chapelle" was created to oversee the restoration, enhancement and protection of the chapel, and now offers an annual program (from April to October).