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Origin and history

The sanctuary of Notre-Dame de la Salette originated in a Marian apparition reported by two young shepherds, Mélanie Calvat (15 years old) and Maximin Giraud (11 years old), on September 19, 1846. The children claimed to have seen a "beautiful lady" crying on a mountain near the village of La Salette-Fallavaux in Isère. Their account, recorded by the local parish priest the following day, triggered a canonical investigation conducted by the bishop of Grenoble, Philibert de Bruillard.

The apparition was officially recognized by the Catholic Church in 1851, after a thorough investigation. The bishop of Grenoble proclaimed his authenticity in a text read in all parishes of the diocese. In 1852, the first stone of a large church was laid on the site, marking the beginning of the construction of the sanctuary, which became a minor basilica in 1879. A congregation, the missionaries of Notre-Dame de la Salette, was founded to welcome pilgrims.

The sanctuary became a place of major devotion, attracting about 300,000 pilgrims annually. In 1848, even before the church was completed, the bishop authorized the creation of the brotherhood "Our Lady-Reconciliator", linked to the message of reconciliation attributed to the Virgin. The congregation of missionaries, recognized by Pope Leo XIII in 1879, extended worldwide, spreading the Salesian message on all continents.

In 2016, the Congregation for Divine Worship included the celebration of the Virgin of La Salette in the French liturgical calendar on September 19. The sanctuary remains a symbol of Marian spirituality, despite recent phenomena such as the "lacrimation" of the statue in 2024, explained by the melting of snow. Its influence extends through shrines dedicated to Europe, America, Africa and Asia.

The missionaries of Notre-Dame de la Salette, originally created to serve the sanctuary, structured themselves with masculine branches (1852), feminine (1930), and secular (2006). Their mission remains focused on welcoming the faithful and spreading the message of La Salette, marked by values of reconciliation and penance.

Today, the Sanctuary of La Salette-Fallavaux, integrated into the landscape of the Dauphiné, continues to attract visitors for its history, architecture and spiritual dimension, while being a witness to modern Marian devotion in France and the world.

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