Via Sanctorum The Way of the Saints
Sancti Galliae, orate pro nobisInvocation
- Length
- Nine days
- Walking
- Gentle
- Season
- April to October
- Status
- First departures in 2027
The grace we ask on this way
The desire for holiness, after the example of the saints of France.
- Paris
- Tours
- Nevers
- Paray-le-Monial
- Ars
- Lyon
- Annecy
France has given the Church a great many saints. This pilgrimage goes to the places where some of them lived and where their relics are venerated today.
In Paris, you will pray to Saint Genevieve, patroness of the city, at Saint-Étienne-du-Mont, then to Saint Vincent de Paul, apostle of the poor, whose body rests on the rue de Sèvres. At Tours, you will pray at the tomb of Saint Martin, one of the great pilgrimages of Christian Gaul for sixteen centuries.
In Nevers, Saint Bernadette rests in the chapel of the convent of Saint-Gildard, where she lived for nearly thirteen years after Lourdes. At Paray-le-Monial, you will pray in the Chapel of the Apparitions, where Christ showed his Heart to Saint Margaret Mary, and beside Saint Claude La Colombière, her confessor. At Ars, the church of the holy Curé, patron of parish priests, keeps the confessional where he spent his life reconciling souls.
In Lyon you visit Fourvière and the memory of the martyrs of 177, Saint Blandina and her companions, then the Maison de Lorette, home of Blessed Pauline Jaricot, founder of the Society for the Propagation of the Faith. At Annecy, the basilica of the Visitation keeps the relics of Saint Francis de Sales, Doctor of the Church and master of the spiritual life for lay people, and of Saint Jane Frances de Chantal.
Daily prayer
For nine days you visit the saints of France where they lived, from Saint Genevieve in Paris to Saint Francis de Sales in Annecy, and ask each for the virtue he or she is known for.
This landFrance has given the universal Church many of the saints every Catholic knows, among them Martin of Tours and the Curé of Ars, patron of parish priests.
Each day
A short life of the saint of the day is read in the morning, with a prayer at the tomb. The litany of the saints of France is prayed in the evening.
The rites of this way
- The litany of the saints of France, each evening
- Confession at Ars
- Prayer for priests at Ars
- A saint received as patron for the year, on the last day
Before you leave
Choose one saint of the way and read his or her life; for Saint Francis de Sales, his Introduction to the Devout Life.
The fruit of the way
A few friends in heaven, and the conviction that holiness is meant for you.
Who it is forThose who love the saints and wish to learn from them how to live.
Day by day
Nine days from Paris to the Alps.
- Day INight in Paris
CommunioThe communion of saints
Paris
Saint Genevieve at Saint-Étienne-du-Mont, then Saint Vincent de Paul on the rue de Sèvres
The opening Mass, and the litany of the saints of France
- Day IINight in Tours
PauperChrist in the poor
Paris to Tours
The high-speed train to Tours, and the basilica of Saint Martin
Mass at the tomb of Saint Martin
- Day IIINight in Tours
SolitudoThe monk’s cell
Tours
Marmoutier, where Martin lived among his monks, in a guided visit arranged in advance, and the old town of the pilgrims
An hour of silent prayer, as Martin’s monks kept it
- Day IVNight in Nevers
HumilitasHumility
Tours to Nevers
The road east, about three hours, to Saint Bernadette in the chapel of Saint-Gildard
Mass before the body of Saint Bernadette
- Day VNight in Paray-le-Monial
CorThe Heart of Jesus
Paray-le-Monial
The Chapel of the Apparitions, and Saint Claude La Colombière
An hour of adoration in the Chapel of the Apparitions
- Day VINight in Ars
SacerdosThe priesthood
Ars
The church of the holy Curé, his house, and the confessional where he spent his life
Confession, and prayer for priests in the church of the holy Curé
- Day VIINight in Lyon
MartyresThe witness of blood
Ars to Lyon
Fourvière and the martyrs of 177, then the Maison de Lorette and Pauline Jaricot
Mass at Fourvière, then prayer for persecuted Christians at the amphitheater where the martyrs died
- Day VIIINight in Annecy
DulcedoGentleness
Lyon to Annecy
The road to the Alps; the basilica of the Visitation, with Saint Francis de Sales and Saint Jane Frances de Chantal
Vespers in the basilica of the Visitation
- Day IXLast day
SanctitasThe call to holiness
Annecy
A last hour at the Visitation, then the transfer to Geneva airport
The farewell Mass; each pilgrim receives a saint as patron for the year
Masses, private openings and some visits are requested for each group and remain subject to the consent of rectors, curators and communities.
First departures in 2027. Tell us the season you prefer, and we will propose departure dates once reservations open.
The holy places of this way: Paris, Tours, Nevers, Paray-le-Monial, Ars, Lyon, Annecy.
Further reading: Paray-le-Monial: A Pilgrim’s Guide to the Sacred Heart; Nevers: Saint Bernadette at the Convent of Saint-Gildard; Ars: A Pilgrim’s Guide to the Village of Saint John Vianney; Lyon: A Pilgrim’s Guide to Fourvière and the Martyrs of 177.
The saints of this way: Saint Blandina and the martyrs of Lyon, Saint Irenaeus, Saint Martin of Tours, Saint Genevieve, Saint Clotilde, Saint Germanus of Paris, Saint Gregory of Tours, Saint Francis de Sales, Saint Jane Frances de Chantal, Saint Vincent de Paul, Saint Claude La Colombière, Saint Margaret Mary Alacoque, Saint John Mary Vianney, Blessed Pauline Jaricot, Saint Bernadette Soubirous.
This way can also be made at a gentle pace, with two or three days in Paris before or after.