Guides and articles
Long guides to the great shrines of France, and articles on the apparitions, the saints and the pilgrim roads, with their sources.
Guides to the great shrines
- Guide · 7 min readRouen: A Pilgrim’s Guide to the City of Saint Joan of ArcJoan of Arc’s captivity, trial and death in Rouen in 1430 and 1431, her rehabilitation, and the cathedral, Saint-Ouen and Saint-Maclou.
- Guide · 7 min readLisieux: A Pilgrim’s Guide to the Town of Saint ThérèseSaint Thérèse in Lisieux from 1877 to 1897, her little way and her book, and Les Buissonnets, the Carmel chapel, the cathedral and the basilica.
- Guide · 7 min readMont-Saint-Michel: A Pilgrim’s Guide to the Archangel’s MountSaint Aubert and the history of the abbey, the visit through the Merveille and the crypts, the Office, and the crossing of the bay with a guide.
- Guide · 7 min readReims: A Pilgrim’s Guide to the Cathedral of the CoronationsThe baptism of Clovis, the coronations of the kings and Joan of Arc in 1429, the sculpture and windows of the cathedral, and the tomb of Saint Remi.
- Guide · 7 min readChartres: A Pilgrim’s Guide to the Cathedral of Our LadyThe Veil of the Virgin, the portals and windows of the cathedral rebuilt after the fire of 1194, and the walking pilgrimages from Paris.
- Guide · 6 min readVézelay: A Pilgrim’s Guide to the Basilica of Mary MagdaleneThe abbey that claimed the relics of Mary Magdalene, Saint Bernard’s preaching of the Second Crusade, and the narthex, nave and crypt of the Romanesque basilica.
- Guide · 7 min readParay-le-Monial: A Pilgrim’s Guide to the Sacred HeartSaint Margaret Mary, the apparitions of 1673 to 1675 and the first Fridays, and the chapel and basilica of the shrine town in Burgundy.
- Guide · 5 min readNevers: Saint Bernadette at the Convent of Saint-GildardBernadette’s thirteen years at Saint-Gildard as Sister Marie-Bernard, the examinations of her body, and the convent chapel where her reliquary lies.
- Guide · 5 min readArs: A Pilgrim’s Guide to the Village of Saint John VianneySaint John Mary Vianney, parish priest of Ars for forty-one years, and the basilica, presbytery and chapel of the Heart in the village where he served.
- Guide · 6 min readLe Puy-en-Velay: A Pilgrim’s Guide to Our Lady of Le PuyThe fever stone, the Black Virgin and the Great Pardon, the cathedral and Saint-Michel d’Aiguilhe, and the start of the Way of Saint James.
- Guide · 7 min readLa Salette: The Apparition of 1846 and the Alpine ShrineWhat two children saw on the mountain on September 19, 1846, the bishop’s judgment of 1851, the dispute over the secrets, and a visit to the shrine.
- Guide · 7 min readLyon: A Pilgrim’s Guide to Fourvière and the Martyrs of 177The martyrs of 177 and Saint Irenaeus, the vow to Our Lady of Fourvière and the lights of December 8, the saints of nineteenth-century Lyon, and a walking plan for pilgrims.
- Guide · 7 min readConques: A Pilgrim’s Guide to the Abbey of Saint FaithHow the relics of Saint Faith came to Conques, the gold Majesty and her Book of Miracles, the Last Judgment over the door and the Soulages windows.
- Guide · 7 min readRocamadour: A Pilgrim’s Guide to Our Lady of RocamadourThe legends of Saint Amadour and the Book of Miracles, the Black Madonna and the chapels on the cliff, Poulenc’s Litanies, and the elevators for pilgrims who walk with difficulty.
- Guide · 7 min readLourdes: A Pilgrim’s Guide to the Grotto of MassabielleThe eighteen apparitions of 1858, the Church’s judgment and the Medical Bureau, the grotto, the baths and the basilicas, with advice for a first visit.
- Guide · 7 min readAvignon: A Pilgrim’s Guide to the City of the PopesThe seven popes of Avignon and the Great Schism, the Palace of the Popes and its painted chapels, Saint Bénézet’s bridge and the old churches of the city.
Articles
- Article · 5 min readBlack Madonnas of France: A Pilgrim’s GuideWhy some statues of the Virgin are dark, and which Black Virgins of France are medieval and which are later copies.
- Article · 7 min readJoan of Arc in France: The Places of Her LifeThe towns and churches on Saint Joan of Arc’s road from Domrémy to Rouen, with the date of each stage, the trial, the rehabilitation and the canonization.
- Article · 7 min readMarian Apparitions of France: A Pilgrim’s GuideThe best-known apparitions of Our Lady in France, from Cotignac in 1519 to L’Île-Bouchard in 1947, and the Church’s judgment on each.
- Article · 6 min readMary Magdalene in Provence: The Tradition and the ShrinesMary Magdalene in the Gospels, the Provençal legend and its origins, and her shrines at Saintes-Maries-de-la-Mer, Saint-Maximin and La Sainte-Baume.
- Article · 6 min readGregorian Chant in France: Monasteries Open to PilgrimsWhere to hear the Divine Office sung in Gregorian chant in France, at Solesmes, Fontgombault, Ligugé, Saint-Wandrille, Le Bec-Hellouin, Fleury and Cîteaux, and how to stay in a monastery guest house.
- Article · 7 min readCatholic Pilgrimage to France: A Practical Planning GuideChoosing shrines and dates, travel to and around France, Mass and confession in English, entry rules and insurance, and advice for older pilgrims, children and groups.
- Article · 7 min readReading a Gothic Cathedral: A Guide for PilgrimsHow to read the portals, windows, labyrinths and altars of a French Gothic cathedral, with examples from Saint-Denis, Chartres, Paris, Amiens, Reims, Bourges and Strasbourg.
- Article · 6 min readRomanesque France: Cluny and the Churches of the Pilgrim RoadsCluny and its houses, and the carved and painted Romanesque churches of Burgundy, Auvergne and the roads to Compostela.
- Article · 6 min readSacred Heart in France: Paray-le-Monial to MontmartreSaint John Eudes, Saint Margaret Mary and Saint Claude La Colombière, the National Vow of Montmartre, and the encyclicals of Pius XII and Pope Francis on the Sacred Heart.
- Article · 5 min readThe Way of Saint James from Le Puy: A Pilgrim’s GuideThe Via Podiensis from Le Puy-en-Velay across the Aubrac to Conques, Figeac, Cahors and Moissac, with its UNESCO sites, lodging and seasons, and how to walk part of it.