A trip back in time, such as a visit to the chapel of the Maison de la Congrégation, is an opportunity to appreciate the remarkable resourcefulness and extraordinary methods employed to carry out work before the advent of technological progress.
Take the windows, for example. The chapel is located in what was once (and by once, we mean around 1794) a windowless shed. When it was converted into a place of worship in 1846, it obviously became necessary to let in some natural light. Craftsmen with rudimentary tools were called in to cut openings in the two-foot-thick stone walls and install ogee windows.
An interesting detail: at the bottom of these windows are wooden troughs, literally hollowed out with a knife, whose function was to collect rainwater and condensation to protect the walls and floors.