Saint-Étienne-le-Laus

The hometown of Benoite Rencurel has a special charm and a few sites to discover.

Fame Saint-Étienne-le-Laus is mainly due to the fact of having given birth Benoîte Rencurel. According to the Church and tradition, this little shepherdess would have experienced apparitions of the Virgin Mary in the mid-seventeenth century. One can still admire the parish church where it was christened, and his birthplace.

The sanctuary of Our Lady of Laus was particularly devoted to Marian apparitions. Located 900 meters in the center of an amphitheater, the sanctuary is on the Domitian, old pilgrimage route to St Jacques de Compostela. It is still a place of pilgrimage which now between 150 000 and 170 000 people each year.

The employer Saint-Étienne-le-Laus festival is held annually in August.

In September, the village celebrates the anniversary of the baptism of Benoite Rencurel.