Sanctuaire Notre-Dame du Laus

About

The Marian Shrine of the Laus, or the Shrine of Notre-Dame du Laus (known as "the refuge of sinners"), is the name given to the Marian Shrine built in Saint-Étienne-le-Laus, Hautes-Alpes department, on the site of the Marian apparitions of the Laus, at Benedicte Rencurel from 1664 to his death in 1718. The first works began in 1666 with the construction of a first church of modest size. A convent (intended for Jesuit fathers at the beginning) is added, as well as various places of residence and reception of pilgrims, as well as chapels and oratories on the various places of apparitions.

The visitation of the sanctuary, very important from the first years, has continued over the centuries (with a stop at the time of the French revolution), and has developed widely after the official recognition of the apparitions by Jean-Michel Di Falco in 2008. The figure of 200,000 pilgrims was crossed in this relatively remote and eccentric place of the French Alps. The very modest size of the main church, the "Laus Basilica", 300 squares, poses problems for the heads of the sanctuary during the summer periods or during the heavy influx.

One...