Pilgrimage Sites in France
Discover 36 sacred destinations in France
Alençon
Alençon is the birthplace of Saint Thérèse of Lisieux and home to the Basilica of Notre-Dame where her parents Saints Louis and Zélie Martin were married.
Apt
Ancient cathedral claiming St. Anne's body relics since Charlemagne's time, with two Romanesque crypts and the mysterious Veil of St. Anne.
Ars
Home to the incorrupt body of St. John Vianney, patron saint of parish priests, whose 41 years of ministry transformed this humble village into France's spiritual heart.
Avignon
Avignon served as the seat of seven Popes from 1309-1378, making it a pivotal center of Catholic Church history. The city's magnificent Palace of the Popes and cathedral continue to attract faithful pilgrims seeking connection to this papal legacy.
Brive
Brive is home to the ancient Caves of Saint Anthony of Padua, where pilgrims have sought spiritual refuge since the 13th century.
Chartres
Chartres Cathedral houses the sacred Veil of the Virgin Mary, drawing pilgrims for nearly 1,000 years to this Gothic masterpiece and major Marian sanctuary.
Conques
Conques is a major medieval pilgrimage destination on the Camino de Santiago, home to the magnificent Abbey Church of Sainte-Foy with its famous reliquary and Romanesque treasures.
Cotignac
Cotignac is the world's only village where all three members of the Holy Family appeared, making it a premier Catholic pilgrimage destination in Provence.
La Salette
La Salette is a major Catholic pilgrimage site where the Virgin Mary appeared to two children in 1846, bringing a message of reconciliation and conversion.
Lalouvesc
Lalouvesc is a renowned Catholic pilgrimage site where the Jesuit missionary Saint Jean-François Régis died and is buried, attracting pilgrims seeking his intercession since 1640.
Le Puy-en-Velay
Le Puy-en-Velay is one of France's oldest Marian pilgrimage sites, home to the Black Virgin and a major starting point for the Camino de Santiago.
Lisieux
France's second-greatest pilgrimage site after Lourdes, where St. Thérèse of the Child Jesus lived, died, and taught her 'Little Way' of spiritual childhood.
Lourdes
The Virgin Mary appeared to Bernadette Soubirous here in 1858, making Lourdes the world's most visited Marian shrine.
Lyon
Lyon serves as a significant Catholic pilgrimage destination, home to the historic Basilica of Notre-Dame de Fourvière, a popular Marian shrine since 1170 that attracts pilgrims seeking spiritual reflection.
Marseille
Marseille is a major Catholic pilgrimage destination centered around the iconic Notre-Dame de la Garde basilica, known for its Assumption Day pilgrimages and Marian devotion.
Mont-Saint-Michel
Mont-Saint-Michel is a majestic medieval abbey dedicated to Archangel Michael, serving as one of Europe's most important Catholic pilgrimage destinations for over a millennium.
Nevers
Burial place of St. Bernadette Soubirous, visionary of Lourdes, whose incorrupt body lies in a crystal reliquary at the Saint-Gildard sanctuary—the geographical heart of France.
Nice
Nice features the national sanctuary Our Lady Help of Christians, a Catholic pilgrimage destination with beautiful art deco architecture and deep Marian devotion.
Paray-le-Monial
Paray-le-Monial is the sacred site where Jesus revealed His Sacred Heart to St. Margaret Mary Alacoque, establishing it as a major Catholic pilgrimage destination.
Paris
France's capital houses the Crown of Thorns at Notre-Dame, St. Catherine Labouré's incorrupt body, and perpetual adoration at Sacré-Cœur since 1885.
Pellevoisin
Pellevoisin is a significant Catholic pilgrimage site where Our Lady appeared to Estelle Faguette in 1876, establishing devotion to Our Lady of Mercy and the White Scapular of the Sacred Heart.
Plan-d'Aups-Sainte-Baume
Sacred grotto where Mary Magdalene lived as a hermit for 30 years, one of Christianity's oldest pilgrimage sites, drawing over 500,000 visitors annually to the Dominican-run sanctuary.
Pontmain
Pontmain is a major Marian pilgrimage site where Our Lady appeared to four children in 1871, bringing hope during the Franco-Prussian War.
Reims
Reims is the historic coronation site of French kings and home to magnificent Gothic cathedrals. This sacred city draws Catholic pilgrims to witness where Clovis was baptized and monarchs were crowned.
Rocamadour
Rocamadour is a spectacular cliffside pilgrimage site famous for its Black Madonna statue and miraculous healing powers, attracting kings and saints since the Middle Ages.
Saint-Étienne-le-Laus
Site of the longest approved Marian apparitions in Church history, where Our Lady appeared to shepherdess Benoîte Rencurel for 54 years (1664-1718), drawing pilgrims seeking healing and reconciliation.
Saint-Gilles
Saint-Gilles was once the fourth most important pilgrimage destination in Christendom, where the relics of Saint Gilles attracted countless pilgrims seeking miracles and blessings.
Saint-Maximin-la-Sainte-Baume
Home to the relics of Saint Mary Magdalene, this major pilgrimage site features a Gothic basilica where pilgrims venerate the remains of the Apostle to the Apostles.
Sainte-Anne-d'Auray
Sainte-Anne-d'Auray is Brittany's most important pilgrimage site where Saint Anne appeared in 1624, making it France's third major Catholic shrine.
Saintes-Maries-de-la-Mer
This historic Camargue village houses relics of the Three Marys and Saint Sarah, drawing pilgrims since medieval times with annual May and October processions to the sea.
Souvigny
Eldest daughter of Cluny, Souvigny shelters the shared tomb of Saints Mayeul and Odilo—two abbots whose sanctity made this sanctuary a medieval pilgrimage powerhouse.
Taizé
Taizé is one of the world's most important Christian pilgrimage sites, attracting over 100,000 young people annually for prayer and reconciliation.
Tours
Tours houses the tomb of St. Martin of Tours, the 4th-century bishop renowned as the 'Apostle of Gaul,' making it a major pilgrimage site since the Middle Ages.
Trois-Épis
Alsace's only Marian apparition site, where the Virgin Mary appeared to blacksmith Thierry Schoeré in 1491 holding three wheat ears—a symbol of blessing and warning.
Vendeville
France's national sanctuary of Saint Rita, where a humble plaster statue arrived in 1928 and now draws 120,000 pilgrims annually seeking the Patroness of Impossible Causes.
Vézelay
Vézelay is a major Catholic pilgrimage site housing relics of St. Mary Magdalene. This UNESCO World Heritage basilica was a starting point for the Way of St. James.