Lake Sautet
View from Saint-Roch Chapel — Corps
Lake Serre-Ponçon
Pierre Arnoux Viewpoint — Hautes-Alpes
The Little Himalaya
Valgaudemar Valley — Écrins Massif
Notre-Dame du Laus
The sanctuary in the valley
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Booking
Spiritual Retreat · Early arrival May 12 · Extension May 17
Week of the Ascension of the Lord Jesus Christ
La Sainte Famille — Le Glaizil, Valgaudemar
From €155 full board (€80 for monks/nuns)
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View from Saint-Roch Chapel — Corps
Pierre Arnoux Viewpoint — Hautes-Alpes
Valgaudemar Valley — Écrins Massif
The sanctuary in the valley
"Our Tender, Holy and Virgin Mary has given us so much, it is our duty to give Her thanks and to praise Her with all our heart for Her, our humanity and to open our heart to God. This retreat has this sole purpose: to forget ourselves so that only Her Love may reign.
— Father Fabrice
La Sainte Famille — Le Glaizil, Valgaudemar
Photos: © B. Bodin / Champsaur Valgaudemar Tourism Office
Le Clos, 05800 Le Glaizil — Hautes-Alpes, France
Nestled at the entrance of the majestic Valgaudemar valley — whose name means "Val Joy of Mary", the valley that brings Mary joy — in the heart of the Écrins National Park, La Sainte Famille vacation center welcomes us in an exceptional mountain setting. A place of peace and renewal, ideal for our spiritual retreat.
An on-site chapel for our times of prayer, nocturnal adoration and guided meditation throughout the stay.
Local cuisine with fresh products from the Hautes-Alpes terroir. In the fraternal spirit of the retreat, collective help for meal preparation will be welcomed.
Panoramic terrace, outdoor relaxation area with sports fields, surrounded by the Écrins peaks.
Meeting room, music room, games room, private parking. Capacity of 10 to 100 people.
Nearest station: Gap (TGV + regional trains). A51 motorway. Private parking. Carpooling available from Grenoble (38), Aix-en-Provence (13), Sisteron (04) and Gap (05).
Approved by the French Ministry of Youth and Sports and the Academic Inspection.
Four days of grace in the footsteps of the Virgin Mary
Optional arrival — Possibility to arrive on Tuesday evening at La Sainte Famille. Check-in and discovery of the venue. Optional welcome dinner and first prayer time in the chapel.
Pilgrimage to the sanctuary of Notre-Dame du Laus, site of the apparitions of the Virgin Mary to Benoîte Rencurel for 54 years (1664-1718). Visit of the Fours Valley, site of the first apparition. Anointing with the sanctuary's holy oil. Guided meditation, prayers and contemplation in this high place of grace.
Solemn day of the Ascension of the Lord. Celebration with Father Fabrice at the Notre-Dame du Bois Vert chapel, a pilgrimage site since the 7th century at the foot of Mont Moutet. Mass and procession at this site steeped in the millennial history of Champsaur.
Ascent to the sanctuary of Notre-Dame de la Salette (1,800m), site of the apparition of the Virgin Mary on September 19, 1846 to two young shepherds, Mélanie and Maximin. Prayers, meditation and contemplation in this grandiose Alpine setting.
Visit of the Notre-Dame du Réal cathedral in Embrun, a jewel of Provençal Romanesque art from the 12th century. Former metropolis of the Alps, this cathedral dedicated to the Virgin Mary is a high place of faith and history. Last evening together, closing circle and blessings.
Optional day — Visit of Notre-Dame du Dromon and the mystical site of Théopolis (City of the Gods), near Sisteron. Mysterious city founded in the 5th century by the Roman prefect Dardanus, converted to Christianity and correspondent of Saint Augustine and Saint Jerome. The chapel houses an ancestral crypt charged with a unique spiritual energy. Picnic together to close this blessed retreat, then departure.
✦ Each day includes guided meditation, prayer time, adoration and sacred chants in La Sainte Famille chapel. Nocturnal adoration and adoration relay organized throughout the 4 days of the retreat.
The sacred sites we will visit in the Hautes-Alpes
La Fare, Champsaur — Hautes-Alpes (1,200m)
A pilgrimage site since the 7th century, at the foot of the Mont Moutet cliffs, surrounded by a magnificent larch forest. Tradition holds that Saint Clair blessed a miraculous spring here. Every year, a great pilgrimage took place on Ascension Thursday — we will celebrate there on Ascension Day.
Saint-Étienne-le-Laus, Hautes-Alpes
Marian sanctuary where the Virgin Mary appeared to Benoîte Rencurel from 1664 to 1718 — over 54 years of apparitions. We will visit the Fours Valley, site of the very first apparition, and receive anointing with the holy oil, renowned for its graces of healing. A place imbued with deep peace and celestial fragrances.
La Salette-Fallavaux, Isère (1,800m)
On September 19, 1846, the Virgin Mary appeared to two young shepherds, Mélanie Calvat and Maximin Giraud. A sanctuary perched in the Alps, a place of contemplation and conversion, recognized by the Church in 1851.
Embrun, Hautes-Alpes
A jewel of Provençal Romanesque art built in the 12th century, the Notre-Dame du Réal Cathedral of Embrun is the former metropolis of the Alps. Dedicated to the Virgin Mary, it bears witness to centuries of Marian devotion in the heart of the mountains.
Near Sisteron — Alpes-de-Haute-Provence · Théopolis (City of the Gods)
(Optional day, May 17) — On the site of the enigmatic Théopolis (City of the Gods), a mysterious city founded in the 5th century by Claudius Dardanus, a converted Roman prefect, correspondent of Saint Augustine and Saint Jerome. The Notre-Dame du Dromon chapel, a classified historical monument, houses an ancestral crypt from the 8th-9th century with symbols of fertility and immortality. To this day, no archaeologist has solved the mystery of this lost city — only the Pierre Écrite (Written Stone), a Latin inscription carved in rock in the 5th century in the gorge near Sisteron, bears witness to its existence. Fraternal picnic to close the retreat.
Photos: Mémoire du Champsaur · Wikimedia Commons (CC BY-SA)
Book your places for this blessed retreat
Wednesday May 13 to Saturday May 16, 2026
Accommodation — cash payment on site
Meals — bank transfer
Payment for meals serves as confirmation of your participation.
Bank details will be sent to you by email after registration.
Thank you for your booking. We will contact you at the email address provided with all practical details for the stay.
Total amount: €155
May this retreat be a source of abundant graces for you.
For any questions about the retreat