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Visit of the Notre-Dame-de-la-Salette Sanctuary
The sanctuary of Notre-Dame de La Salette is a high place of Marian pilgrimage in France, visited each year by tens of thousands of pilgrims from all over the world. Due to its grandeur and its high altitude location, there is a tranquility here that invites meditation, rejuvenation and communion with nature.
Birth of a sanctuary
September 19, 1846. On the heights of La Salette-Fallavaux (a village near by Corps), Mélanie Calvat and Maximin Giraud, 15 and 11 years old, are looking after the animals when suddenly a crying lady appears to them, a large crucifix on her chest.
News of the holy apparition soon spread and pilgrims began to flock. On May 25, 1852, the first stone of the sanctuary was laid.
Originally served by the missionaries of Notre-Dame de La Salette, this vast church – later elevated to the rank of basilica – was taken over in 1891 by diocesan priests. The basilica, with its neo-Romanesque architecture and slender silhouette, stands in a sumptuous mountain landscape, at an altitude of 1,800 meters.
The Chapel of the Meeting, designed by René Maison and built in 1995, is illuminated with stained glass windows made by the artist Arcabas. The original building, in two-tone limestone, stands in the Fathers' cemetery.
An internationally recognized pilgrimage
Today, the sanctuary of Notre-Dame de La Salette enjoys worldwide fame and remains a major place of pilgrimage with 150,000 to 200,000 visitors annually.
Pilgrims climb the mountain to discover its history, the message of the Virgin and benefit in this haven of peace of liturgical proposals, activities (retreats, spiritual hikes, geological Wednesdays, concerts, weekends theme, heritage days, etc.) and visits: the museum, the Basilica with its contemporary sacred art (works by Arcabas).
The two most important gatherings take place on August 15 for the Assumption, and September 19 to commemorate the apparition of the Virgin.
The sanctuary of Notre-Dame de La Salette is part of the Villes Sanctuaires de France association, which brings together major pilgrimage sites in France.
Le Sanctuaire de Notre-Dame de La Salette à 1800m d'altitude dans un paysage somptueux
Stays and hikes around La Salette
For everyone, religious or not, the Sanctuary of La Salette is an essential stopover and a highlight of your stay in Matheysine.
A hotel welcomes for stays with various kinds of rooms (comfortable rooms, family lodges, dormitories) as well as catering are offered on site. The Sanctuary of Notre-Dame de La Salette also offers the services of a boutique and a bookstore.
In a setting with sumptuous panoramas, the sanctuary is also a starting point for very popular hikes from Corps or Valbonnais.
