Oratoire Saint Antoine Abbé

The Oratoire Saint Antoine Abbé is a confraternity chapel built around the middle of the 15th century, when Calvi was the seat of Genoese power in Corsica. It is a rectangular chapel whose main nave's low vault rests on 19th-century pilasters.

Since its foundation, the Oratoire Saint Antoine Abbé has hosted meetings of its confraternity, created in the 14th century. This brotherhood also bears the names of Beata Annunziata and the Stigmata of Saint Francis. Lay fraternities directly attached to major religious orders, the confraternities were devout groups dedicated to the personal sanctification of their members. In Corsica, most depended on the Franciscan Third Order.

The confraternities of Saint Anthony Abbot still fulfill today, as in the Middle Ages, an important mission of solidarity and social justice. They provide prayers and burials for the deceased when necessary, and sometimes intervene to resolve private disputes amicably. Elections and administrative decisions are still made by secret ballot, in the medieval tradition.

The brotherhood plays an active part in the development of the faith through the practice of liturgical chant, the solemnity of services and the wearing of the "cappa". Its spirit of humanism and fraternity is manifested through mutual aid and charity. The Saint Antoine Abbé brotherhood is one of the oldest in Corsica.

The oratory was damaged during the storm of August 18, 2022. For the duration of the work, confreres are welcomed at the Saint Jean-Baptiste cathedral.