--- title: "Chapelle de la Visitation (Chapelle des Apparitions): How to Visit and What to See" description: "The Chapelle de la Visitation, also called the Chapelle des Apparitions, is the chapel of the Visitation convent in the centre of Paray-le-Monial." url: https://www.cote-privee.com/things-to-do/chapelle-de-la-visitation-paray-le-monial lang: en updated: 2026-10-08 generated: 2026-10-08 image: https://www.cote-privee.com/og/things-to-do/chapelle-de-la-visitation-paray-le-monial.png --- # Chapelle de la Visitation (Chapelle des Apparitions) > Chapelle de la Visitation (Chapelle des Apparitions): the convent chapel where Margaret Mary Alacoque saw Christ show his heart, and where her relics lie. Chapelle de la Visitation (Chapelle des Apparitions) is in Paray-le-Monial (Saône-et-Loire), 1 h 19 by road (109 km) from Beaune. Allow 20 to 30 minutes · Private driver from Beaune: €285 one way for the whole car, up to 4 guests. The Chapelle de la Visitation, also called the Chapelle des Apparitions, is the chapel of the Visitation convent in the centre of Paray-le-Monial. Here, between 1673 and 1675, the nun Margaret Mary Alacoque described a series of visions of Christ that spread the devotion to the Sacred Heart across the Catholic world. Her reliquary makes the chapel the main goal of the pilgrims who come to Paray. ## Key facts - Type: Abbeys & churches - Where: Paray-le-Monial · Saône-et-Loire - Location: 85 km south-west of Beaune · Saône-et-Loire - Coordinates: 46.4511, 4.1222 - 1 h 19 from Beaune - Allow 20 to 30 minutes - Paray-le-Monial - Official website: [sacrecoeur-paray.org](https://sacrecoeur-paray.org/lieux/la-chapelle-apparitions/) - From Beaune: ≈ 1 h 19 · 109 km - €285 one way from Beaune with a [private driver](https://www.cote-privee.com/private-driver) ## Getting there - [Private driver from Beaune](https://www.cote-privee.com/private-driver): 1 h 19 by road (109 km), €285 one way for the whole car. Coming by train or plane? [Transfers from stations and airports](https://www.cote-privee.com/transfers) Estimates per vehicle for up to 4 guests, tolls included. Your price is confirmed when you book. ## History The chapel of the Visitation convent was built in 1633. Margaret Mary Alacoque, born in 1647 at Vérosvres in the Charolais, entered the convent in 1671, at the age of 24. Between 1673 and 1675 she reported several apparitions of Christ during prayer; in the best known, in June 1675, he showed her his heart and asked for a feast in its honour. Her confessor, the Jesuit Claude La Colombière, believed her and became the first to spread her message. The chapel was remodelled in 1854 in a style that echoes the Romanesque basilica. Margaret Mary was beatified in 1864, and her reliquary dates from that time; she was canonised in 1920. Large organised pilgrimages began in the 1870s, and the Feast of the Sacred Heart, which she had asked for, is now kept by the whole Catholic Church each June. ## What you will see Above the door, a carved tympanum shows the Last Supper, with Saint John resting against Christ's chest. Inside, a large mural painted in 1966 fills the choir: Christ shows his radiant heart, surrounded by the Virgin, Saint John, Saint Paul, Saint Francis of Assisi and other saints. To the right of the choir, a small chapel holds the reliquary, where a wax figure of Margaret Mary lies over her bones, beneath a mosaic of the Sacred Heart crowned with flames. The grille between the chapel and the nuns' side recalls the place where she knelt during the visions. ## Planning your visit The chapel is a place of prayer, open to visitors outside services, and silence is expected. Mass is said here at 11:00 on weekdays and at 9:00 on Sundays, with morning prayer at 8:30 and vespers at 17:30 every day. The sanctuary's welcome desk opens every day, morning and afternoon, and can tell you about the other chapels of Paray. The basilica is a few minutes' walk away. ## Did you know? Margaret Mary's confessor, Claude La Colombière, died in Paray in 1682 at the age of 41 and was canonised in 1992; his relics rest in a chapel of their own in the town. ## Around Chapelle de la Visitation (Chapelle des Apparitions) What to combine with Chapelle de la Visitation (Chapelle des Apparitions) on the same day, nearest first. ### Châteaux - [Château de Digoine](https://www.cote-privee.com/chateaux/chateau-de-digoine) (11 km away): The pearl of the Charolais, an 18th-century château with a small private theatre, rose garden and landscaped park. - [Château de Chaumont](https://www.cote-privee.com/chateaux/chateau-de-chaumont-la-guiche) (24 km away): Home of the La Guiche family since 1416, with one of the largest private stables in France. ### Things to do - [Musée du Hiéron](https://www.cote-privee.com/things-to-do/musee-du-hieron-paray-le-monial) (1 km away): One of the first buildings in France designed as a museum, with an iron-framed hall and a Romanesque portal inside. - [Basilique du Sacré-Cœur de Paray-le-Monial](https://www.cote-privee.com/things-to-do/basilique-du-sacre-coeur-paray-le-monial) (1 km away): A Romanesque priory church built on the model of Cluny, at the heart of a pilgrimage town. - [Hôtel de ville de Paray-le-Monial (Maison Jayet)](https://www.cote-privee.com/things-to-do/hotel-de-ville-paray-le-monial-maison-jayet), 1 km away: A cloth merchant's Renaissance house, its façade covered with carved medallions, now the town hall. ### Restaurants - [Maison Doucet](https://www.cote-privee.com/restaurants/maison-doucet-charolles) (12 km away · 2 MICHELIN stars): A second star in 2026 for Frédéric Doucet's tribute to the Charolais country. ## Questions about Chapelle de la Visitation (Chapelle des Apparitions) ### How far is Chapelle de la Visitation (Chapelle des Apparitions) from Beaune? Chapelle de la Visitation (Chapelle des Apparitions) is about 1 h 19 from Beaune by road (109 km). With a private driver, the trip from Beaune starts at €285 for the whole car, up to 4 guests. ### How long does a visit to Chapelle de la Visitation (Chapelle des Apparitions) take? For the visit, allow 20 to 30 minutes. ### When is Chapelle de la Visitation (Chapelle des Apparitions) open? Opening days and times change during the year, so check the official website (sacrecoeur-paray.org) before you go. Your driver can plan the day around them. ### Can a private driver take us to Chapelle de la Visitation (Chapelle des Apparitions)? Yes. Your driver collects you in Beaune or at your hotel in an electric Polestar 2 (up to 4 guests), waits while you visit and plans the rest of the day with you. The driver speaks English, French, Mandarin Chinese and Arabic. → [Private driver from Beaune](https://www.cote-privee.com/private-driver) ## Book - [Book a driver here](https://www.cote-privee.com/book?service=driver&place=sight:parayvisitation): €285 one way from Beaune · up to 4 guests ## Sources - - - - --- Canonical page: