Pilgrimage through France: Lourdes, Lisieux & Paris

• Lisieux: France’s second most famous pilgrimage site, shrine to Sainte Thérèse of Lisieux. Visit the Carmel of Lisieux Memorial, former convent of Saint Thérèse and the Basilica of Saint-Therese of Lisieux, with its crypt and Chapel of Adoration.
• Les Buissonnets, childhood home of Saint Thérèse where she lived before she entered Carmel. See the Little Story of Saint Thérèse, an immersive exhibition with audioguides which traces Therese’s life through 21 scenes with miniature figurines. Also the Waxwork Museum, depicting Therese’s life in a series of tableaux with wax figures.
• Paris: visit the Chapel of our Lady of the Miraculous Medal, where the heart of Saint Vincent de Paul and apparitions of the Blessed Virgin appeared to Sister Catherine Labouré in 1830.
• Notre-Dame Cathedral in Paris, a 12th century medieval Catholic cathedral and World Heritage Site.
• The Sainte-Chapelle, built in the middle of the 13th century by Louis IX to house the most prestigious relic of the Passion of Christ: the Crown of Thorns, a fragment of the True Cross and a nail.
• Basilica of Sacré Coeur at Montmartre, dedicated to the Sacred Heart of Jesus. After the Eiffel Tower, the  dome is the highest point in Paris and the mosaic of Jesus Christ above the altar is among the largest in the world.
• Mont-Saint-Michel – a beautiful island topped by a gravity-defying abbey and historically one of Europe’s major pilgrimage destinations. In the early 8th century a local bishop claimed that the Archangel Michael asked him to build a church on top of the island. Now a UNESCO World Heritage Site.
• Basilica of St Louis de Montfort and Blessed Marie Louise, home to the tombs of Louis-Marie Grignion de Montfort, Catholic priest and founder of the Company of Mary and the Daughters of Wisdom and of Marie-Louise Trichet, his co-founder.
• The Sanctuary of Our Lady of Lourdes: a major Catholic pilgrimage site, at the foot of the Pyrenees, where the Virgin Mary appeared to Bernadette Soubirous 18 times in 1858. Visit the Lourdes Spring, Ways of the Cross and Grotto of Apparitions, where pilgrims can touch the rock and see the water from the spring. Take part in the torchlight Marian procession.
• Visit the three basilicas – the Basilica of the Rosary with the famous mosaics, the Basilica of the Immaculate Conception with its stained glass windows depicting the story of Lourdes and the immaculate conception and the Basilica of St. Pius X, consecrated in the centenary year of the apparitions.
• Abbey Church of Sainte-Foy, built in the 10th century and a masterpiece of Romanesque art.
• Sanctuary of Saint Bernadette in Nevers, where she lived after Lourdes as a Sister of Charity. Visit the Espace of Saint Bernadette, where she lies in a crystal coffin. Discover a reconstruction of the Lourdes cave and explore the museum which tells her story after Lourdes.
• Paray le Monial, major pilgrimage site in Burgundy where Christ appeared three times to nun Marguerite-Marie Alacoque in the 17th century. See the Chapel of the Visitation.
• The Basilica of Saint Mary Magdalene in Vézelay. Home to relics of Mary Magdalene. Now a World Heritage Site and living shrine.
• Basilica of St. Maximin in Provence, 12th century basilica with relics of Mary Magdalene. See the reliquary containing her skull, the crypt and its 4 sarcophaguses.
• Cluny Abbey, founded in 910 AC and once home to 10,000 monks. See the vaulted roof 30 metres above the nave, the bell tower and the new 3d film showing the majesty of what was once Christendom’s largest church.
• Basilica of Saint Sixtus and the remains of Saint John Vianney, Curé of Ars and patron saint of parish priests. See the dome with sculptures of angels and museum telling the story of his life.
• Basilica of the Visitation in Annecy, honouring the visit of Mary to her cousin Elizabeth. See the magnificent mosaics and stained glass windows telling the story of the lives of Saint François de Sales and Jeanne de Chantal, whose bronze coffins are on display.
• The church of Our Lady of Liesse in Annecy, remarkable for its dome and golden statue of the Virgin Mary. Built in the 14th century by the Count of Geneva.
• The church of Saint François de Sales in Annecy Old Town.
• Sanctuary of Rocamadour, an important pilgrim destination for centuries. Made up of a group of beautiful buildings halfway up the rock face, with stunning views over the village. Rocamadour was home and burial place to Zaccheus of Jericho, who spoke to Jesus and who died in 70AD. In 1166 a perfectly preserved body was found, said to be either Zaccheus or Saint Amadour, with a black wooden statue which has since been linked to miracles.
• Our Lady of Chartres Cathedral, built to glorify the Virgin Mary