The holy places of France · Provence-Alpes-Côte d’Azur
Cotignac Notre-Dame-de-Grâces and Saint Joseph of Bessillon
Var, Provence-Alpes-Côte d’Azur
- Getting there
- About an hour and a quarter by road from Marseille.
- On our way
- Via Immaculatae
History
In 1519 the Virgin Mary, holding the Child, appeared to a woodcutter, Jean de la Baume, on Mont Verdaille above Cotignac, and a chapel was built there. In 1637 an Augustinian brother in Paris, Fiacre, said that Our Lady had asked for three novenas, one of them at Cotignac, for the birth of an heir to Louis XIII; the future Louis XIV was born the next year.
In 1660 Louis XIV came with his mother, Anne of Austria, to give thanks. The same year, on June 7, Saint Joseph appeared to a thirsty shepherd, Gaspard Ricard, on nearby Mount Bessillon and showed him a spring. A community of nuns keeps the shrine of Saint Joseph; ask the shrine which community receives pilgrims today.
Further reading: Marian Apparitions of France: A Pilgrim’s Guide.
To see and to pray
- Notre-Dame-de-GrâcesThe shrine on Mont Verdaille.
- Saint-Joseph du BessillonThe spring, and the monastery beside it.
On our way
Getting there
About an hour and a quarter by road from Marseille.
Sources
- Mairie de Cotignac, Patrimoine : les sanctuaires
- Office de tourisme Provence Verte & Verdon, Les apparitions à Cotignac
- National Catholic Register, Mary’s Little-Known Appearance in France
- Provence-Alpes-Côte d’Azur Tourisme, Sanctuaire Saint-Joseph du Bessillon
- Office de tourisme Provence Verte & Verdon, Sanctuaire Saint-Joseph du Bessillon à Cotignac
Facts checked against these sources on .
Nearby
- Le ThoronetThe Abbey of Le Thoronet, about 9 miles as the crow flies
- Saint-MaximinThe Basilica of Saint Mary Magdalene, about 15 miles as the crow flies
- La Sainte-BaumeThe Grotto of Saint Mary Magdalene, about 24 miles as the crow flies
- SénanqueThe Abbey of Notre-Dame de Sénanque, about 55 miles as the crow flies