Miraculous Medal Chapel, rue du Bac: opening hours, Masses and visit
The Chapel of Our Lady of the Miraculous Medal, at 140 rue du Bac (7th arrondissement), needs no booking: it is open every day, morning and afternoon, and entry is free. Allow 30 to 45 minutes. It is an active pilgrimage site where the Virgin appeared in 1830 to Catherine Labouré, a novice of the Daughters of Charity, and where the medal struck in 1832 originated. Silence and modest dress are expected.
Highlights
The nave and choir
Built in 1813, the chapel is a bright hall lined with galleries, with a mosaic decorating the apse. Catherine Labouré saw the Virgin in front of this choir in 1830, on 18 July and 27 November.
The galleries and the organ
Seen from the back of the nave, the chapel shows its galleries and its organ. The whole remains sober, in a 19th-century spirit, and people come mainly to pray and reflect.
The ex-votos
Marble plaques engraved with "Merci" cover the walls: these are thanks left by pilgrims from all over the world. They show better than any sign how much the place matters to the faithful.
Practical info
Tips
- Entry is free, with no ticket or slot to book. The chapel is a place of worship: avoid walking around during Mass (on weekdays at 8am, 10:30am and 12:30pm; on Sundays at 8am, 10am and 11:30am). The relics of Saint Catherine Labouré rest in the chapel, and the heart of Saint Vincent de Paul is also kept there. A shop sells the medals. To extend your walk, the Bon Marché is a few steps away on rue de Sèvres, and Saint-Germain-des-Prés is a fifteen-minute walk.
How to get there
Metro lines 10 and 12, Sèvres - Babylone station. Buses 39, 63, 70, 84, 87 and 94. Address: 140 rue du Bac, 75007 Paris. To stay nearby, see the hotels in the Saint-Germain-des-Prés area on Booking.
Opening hours
Nearby
See on the map →
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