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Origin and history

The Basilica of Our Lady of Arcachon originated in 1519, when a Franciscan brother, Thomas Illyricus, prayed on the beach of La Teste-de-Buch (now Arcachon) during a storm. After saving two ships by tracing a cross in the sand, he discovered a statue of the Virgin brought by the waves. A first wooden chapel was built to shelter, becoming a place of devotion for sailors. This chapel, destroyed and rebuilt several times (1624, 1721, 1722), now houses ex-votos and remains a symbol of maritime protection.

During the French Revolution, the chapel escaped destruction thanks to the National Guard of La Teste, which preserved the miraculous statue despite the sale of ornaments. The feast of the Annunciation continues to be celebrated there. In the 19th century, with the development of Arcachon, a new neo-Gothic church was built between 1856 and 1861 under the impulse of Abbé Mouls. Its funding is based on a campaign of donations to the faithful.

On July 15, 1870, Pope Pius IX awarded the coronation of the statue, marking its importance for pilgrims. In 1953, the church was raised to the rank of minor basilica by Pius XII. A fire in 1986 partially ravaged the chapel, but the statue was saved. Restored in 1987, the chapel regains its baroque appearance from 1723. The basilica, with its fresco of the coronation and its stained glass windows by Joseph Villiet, remains a high spiritual and architectural place.

The architecture of the basilica is remarkable: built on a height near the beach, it opens to the north, with a courtyard overlooking the Chapel and the Arcachon basin. The arrangement is unique, as the entrance to the chapel of the Marins gives directly into the nave of the basilica. Inside, a head of Christ carved by Claude Bouscau and former sailors recall his history linked to the sea.

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