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Discovery of Paray-le-Monial in Burgundy

Paray-le-Monial is a lovely little town located in the Saône-en-Loire region. It is an important place of pilgrimage for the Catholics.

The visit presented here is a walk through the streets of Paray-le-Monial to discover the city's heritage. The heritage is essentially religious since Paray-le-Monial is an important center of pilgrimage.

One of the places to discover is the chapel of the Apparitions. It is in this chapel that Jesus appeared to Saint Marguerite-Marie. The body of the saint lies inside the chapel.

You can then walk around to discover the Basilica with its park, the city center and the beautiful city hall. The city is not really big and you can visit everything in half a day.

The visit is much more interesting during the good season because there are many pilgrims and thus animation, otherwise the city is very quiet in low season (the museum of the city is closed from December to March!). Moreover the city is very flowery and can be the starting point of hikes in the surrounding countryside. Do not hesitate to make a detour to visit this city!

Interest: good (1 user)
Difficulty:
Duration: 5 h.
Practical information

Welcoming pilgrims

Next to the building where the pilgrims are welcomed, there is a small parking lot.
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Tableware used in the convent

Inside the pilgrims' reception area you can see objects of worship or objects of monastic life displayed in glass cases. The photo shows the dishes used in the convent until 1950.
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Chapel of the Apparitions

In this chapel between 1671 and 1690 Jesus appeared to Saint Margaret Mary. He gave her the mission of recalling his love for mankind.
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Shrine of Saint Margaret Mary

Saint Marguerite-Marie was a nun belonging to the order of the Visitation. The order was founded in 1610 in Annecy. There are still 21 nuns living in the buildings next door.
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Rear view of the Basilica of Paray

In June, during the Feasts of the Sacred Heart of Jesus, Paray-le-Monial welcomes large numbers of pilgrims. Several thousand people flock to pray in the park and the Basilica.
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Facade of the basilica of Paray-le-Monial

The basilica is a Romanesque building erected in the 11th and 12th centuries. It belonged to the powerful order of Cluny which dominated the whole region. Cluny is located a few kilometers from Paray but there is not much left of the abbey of Cluny, it was used as a stone quarry during the revolution.
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Pietà in the basilica of Paray

Beautiful Pièta with its gothic niche located in the basilica. The basilica has been completely restored a few years ago.
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Downtown Paray

The downtown area is not very large but has a lot of charm.
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Old church of Saint-Nicolas

The old church built in 1531 is now an exhibition space.
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City Hall

At the beginning it was a house built between 1521 and 1528 by a rich cloth merchant Pierre Jayet. The house is built in the Renaissance style, its magnificent facade shows the wealth of the Jayet family which was one of the first protestant families of the region.
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