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Origin and history

The shrine of Notre-Dame du Bout-du-Puy, located at Valentine in Haute-Garonne, is a major Marian devotional place in the region of Saint-Gaudens. Prior to the construction of the oratory and chapel, a simple hut housed shepherds and herds on this hill, serving as a refuge against storms. This site, dedicated to the Virgin Mary under the name Our Lady of the Agonizing, became a place of prayer and protection for the inhabitants.

In the 17th century Valentine was struck by the plague, decimating three quarters of its population. The survivors vowed to go on a procession every first Sunday in May to implore the Virgin. As soon as this vow was fulfilled, the epidemic ceased, pushing the faithful to erect a first chapel at the end of the seventeenth century. Pope Innocent XI granted indulgences for pilgrims visiting the site on Pentecost Monday and the day of the Nativity of the Virgin.

Destroyed in 1794 during the Revolution, the chapel was rebuilt between 1818 and the end of the 19th century, this time dedicated to Notre-Dame de Pitié. An oratory was added under the porch around 1875, and a cross path marked with monuments was arranged for pilgrims. Every year, the Archbishop of Toulouse celebrates a solemn Mass on Pentecost Monday. In 2005, a replica of the original Pietà, carved by André Delcros, was blessed and installed to preserve the work venerated for centuries.

In front of the chapel, a representation of the Crucifixion dominates the site. On the base of the central cross, a Latin inscription (1858) celebrates the cross as a salvation of the world, while another cross pays homage to Jean Campet, a donor who died in 1849. The sanctuary remains a place of recollection and devotion, especially for the sick and the people in difficulty, perceived as an intermediary to Jesus Christ through the intercession of Mary.

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