Paray le Monial and The Sacred Heart Basilica

Paray le Monial

It was at Paray le Monial that Jesus appeared to Saint Margaret Mary Alacoque (1647-1690), revealing to her his Heart burning with love for man.

A young girl from the region, Margaret Mary entered the monastery of the Visitation in Paray le Monial in 1671. See other Catholic sites in France.

She experienced numerous apparitions which were confirmed by her confessor, a Jesuit, Saint Claude La Colombière. Jesus requested the introduction of the feast of the Sacred Heart of Jesus, which would take place every year in June.

Following these apparitions, the spirituality of the Sacred Heart spread throughout the whole world. Saint Margaret Mary – Sacred Heart of Jesus was canonized on 13th May 1920 and Saint Claude la Colombière on 12th May 1992.

See also consecrated to the Heart of Christ, a revelation of the love of God for mankind the Basilica Sacre Coeur Paris.

The Sacred Heart Basilica

The town grew up around a monastery in about 970. It was the great monk-builder Saint Hugues de Semur (XIIth), the abbot of Cluny, who built, on the site, the church we know today.

Having survived the revolution after the departure of the monks, thanks to its purchase by the town, it was restored from 1856 by Eugene Millet, the pupil of Violet-le-Duc.

It was raised to the rank of minor basilica by Pope Pius IX in 1875, and dedicated to the Sacred Heart, in remembrance of the apparitions of Christ to a Visitation nun, Saint Margaret-Mary Alacoque, during the 17th century, and of the great pilgrimages followinf these apparitions.

It was restored during the 19th century by Eugène Millet, a disciple of the French architect and restorer Viollet-le-Duc.

Interesting archéological excavations were carried out from 1997, together with the entire restoration of the building.

Guided visits are organized every day in July and August at 2:30 p.m. to provide you a complete discovery of the monument.

It is still possible to stroll through the town center of Paray le Monial, to discover the main attractions 

• the Maison Jayat (present town hall), built during the Renaissance by a wealthy clothing merchant,
• the Saint-Nicolas tower (XVIth) the former parish church, nowadays an exhibition center,
• the chapel of the Visitation (XVIIth), place of the apparitions of the Sacred Heart,
• La Colombière chapel (1930), built by the Jesuits in honor of Saint Claude la Colombière.

The town’s pedestrian area enables one to follow the Bourbince and the canal of the Centre, from Gué-Léger to the Moulin Liron park. From the pedestrian area, access is available to the walking trails, to go at one’s own pace, using the small streets and shaded paths. See our Top 15 Catholic shrines around the world.

Every summer, Paray le Monial hosts temporary exhibitions linked to the next re-opening of the Hiéron Eucharistic Museum (2004). The mosaic center (Paul Charnoz museum and Association Aime comme mosaïque) also offers courses and exhibitions every year.

See other Catholic sites in France.

This Parish church was enhanced throughout the centuries by the work of numerous artists. During the renovation, between 1997 and 2005, J.-C. Detallante designed the lights, evocative of the Romanesque bestiary.

In 2011, the Way of the Cross was realized by the Enamel workshop of the abbey of Ligugé inspired by the watercolors of the artist P. Lafoucrière.