After the Blessed Virgin, St Joseph is the most important saint of all saints. Chosen by God Himself as the Adoptive Father of His Son and husband of Mary, he is a powerful intercessor. He has been proclaimed as the protector of the Church, fathers, and workers. Many saints, from their own experience, recommend invoking his help and entrusting all kinds of needs to him.
His exemplary life and miracles have inspired the construction of shrines that today become places of pilgrimage, miracles, and conversion for many souls. Discover in this post the seven most stunning and well-known shrines of St Joseph worldwide. Hopefully, you’ll have the joy of visiting them someday!
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7 Shrines of St Joseph in the world:
1. St Joseph’s Oratory of Mount Royal (Montreal, Canada)
St Joseph’s Oratory on Mount Royal is a minor basilica and national shrine located in the city of Montreal, Quebec province, Canada. It is the most important church in Canada and has one of the largest domes in the world.
It was built under the impulse of St. André Bessette. This saint, born in 1845, was a religious of the Congregation of Holy Cross. As he had very weak health, his superiors did not want to admit him to religious profession.
One day, upon meeting Bishop Bourget, the Bishop of Montreal, he threw himself at his feet and begged him to intercede so that he would be allowed to profess his vows. He also revealed to him his devotion to St Joseph and his desire to build a sanctuary dedicated to this saint on top of a nearby hill. The bishop was also thinking of building a monumental church to St Joseph and saw in André’s request a providential sign.
Thanks to Bishop Bourget’s intervention, St. André Bessette was admitted as a lay brother of his Congregation. He served all his life as a porter at Notre Dame College. He was characterized by his great love for St Joseph, whom he sought to make known and constantly imitate. St. André performed numerous miracles in life, but due to his humility, he always attributed them to the intercession of Jesus’ Adoptive Father.
With the help of some students, parents, and teachers from Notre Dame College, the shrine’s construction began in 1896. A small chapel was built, known as “the Oratory”. From 1908, St. André settled there to closely follow the works. As the pilgrimages were very numerous, gathering more than ten thousand people, it was decided to build a basilica.
Many Canadians and North Americans, moved by St. André’s holiness and the miracles that took place at the Oratory, collaborated with donations for the progress of the works. The sanctuary was completed in 1967, thirty years after its founder’s death.
Near the Shrine , a convent for the religious of the Holy Cross was built, who today provide spiritual care to the faithful. Also, spacious terraces and gardens were built to receive the multitude of souls that arrive every year to visit the basilica. Inside, there is an image of St Joseph crowned by Pius X and in the crypt another crowned by Pius XII. St. André’s tomb can also be seen. Additionally, there is an area where you can see hundreds of pilgrims’ crutches who were healed thanks to St. Joseph’s intercession.
- For more information about this Church, visit the St Joseph Oratory website
- Location: 3800 Queen Mary Rd, Montreal, Quebec H3Y 1N5, Canada
2. St Joseph Shrine of Cotignac (Bessillon, France)
The St Joseph Shrine of Cotignac was built to commemorate the only appearance of Saint Joseph alone recognized by the Church. On June 7, 1660, a young shepherd named Gaspard Richard was tending his sheep on Mount Bessillon. Exhausted by thirst, as the heat was stifling, he lay down on the ground. Suddenly, a man of imposing stature appeared to him and pointed to a rock, saying:
I am Joseph, move it and you will drink.
The stone was very heavy. It would take at least eight men to lift it. Gaspard thought it was a joke, but “the venerable old man” repeated his order. The shepherd obeyed, moved the rock without difficulty, and discovered a fresh water spring that began to flow. With great joy and eagerness, he drank from the spring.
When he stood up, he was alone. He returned to his village, Cotignac, and recounted what had happened. The news spread with extraordinary speed. Pilgrims began to come to the spring from all over France and its surroundings. Many sick people were cured of their ailments or consoled.
Faced with the number of pilgrims, it was decided to immediately construct an oratory at the site of the apparition. Later, a chapel was built. This chapel was entrusted to the Oratorian Fathers of Our Lady of Grace. In the “solitude of Bessillon”, they built a small convent, a place of retreat, silence, and prayer.
Due to the French Revolution, the chapel and convent were abandoned. The convent fell into ruins. The chapel remained standing, cared for and maintained by the village parish. In 1975, the Benedictine Sisters of Medea, who had been expelled from Algeria, took charge of the sanctuary. They managed to restore the convent and chapel.
Since March 19, 2019, the Community “St Joseph, Spouse of the Virgin Mary”, of the Sisters of the Mater Dei Institute, has settled in Bessillon to continue the work of the Benedictine Sisters after their departure.
There are numerous testimonies of miraculous healings and pregnancies achieved in marriages diagnosed with infertility, attributable to drinking water from the spring and to the intercession of Saint Joseph.
- For more information about this Church, visit the St Joseph Shrine of Cotignac website.
- Location: 5248 Chemin de Saint-Joseph, 83570 Cotignac, France.
3. Chapel of Our Lady of Loreto (Santa Fe, New Mexico, United States)
The Loreto Chapel in Santa Fe, New Mexico, is not strictly a shrine dedicated to St Joseph. However, it houses inside a mysterious spiral staircase with thirty-three steps, which balances like a spring. The construction was attributed to St Joseph.
In 1853, the Sisters of Loreto responded to the request of the Bishop of New Mexico to open a school for girls in Santa Fe. They hired an architect who designed for them a beautiful Gothic-style chapel. Unfortunately, the architect died before building the access to the choir loft. Due to the limited space, it was impossible to build a staircase to go up.
The sisters began a novena to St Joseph, patron saint of carpenters. On the last day, a mysterious man appeared, looking for work, with a donkey, a hammer, and a square. He asked the sisters to let him work alone inside the chapel for three months and to provide him with buckets of water. After this time, they entered the chapel and found the beautiful staircase completed. The mysterious carpenter disappeared without receiving any payment. After searching for him throughout the town and finding no trace, they believed it was St Joseph himself.
The wood used is a species of fir tree that only exists in the Middle East. No one knows where it came from or how the carpenter obtained it.
In 1971, the Sisters of Loreto sold the convent and the chapel, unfortunately, was deconsecrated. Currently, it is a museum and is used to celebrate weddings. Therefore, Mass cannot be attended there. However, if you have the opportunity to go, you can contemplate the magnificent staircase and marvel at this miracle.
- For more information about this Church, visit the Loretto Chapel website.
- Location: 207 Old Santa Fe Trail, Santa Fe, NM 87501.
4. Monastery of San Paolo delle Clarisse (Tuscania, Viterbo, Italy)
This monastery has the honor of housing the chair that was the protagonist of St Joseph’s apparition to Sister María Gertrudis of Jesus Nazarene, a Poor Clare nun who was very devoted to him and suffered from an incurable cancer.
Sister Gertrudis had been bedridden for several months. On the morning of March 8, 1871, while the entire community was attending Holy Mass in the chapel, a man entered her room. Surprised, because the entry of men was prohibited due to the enclosure, the sister asked him who he was. The mysterious figure introduced himself as the “monastery’s carpenter”. He sat in one of the two chairs that were there and asked her what was wrong, encouraging her to trust in God. Then he stood up and left, as silently as he had entered.
While Sister Mary Gertrudis was talking to him, she observed – as she herself declared – that he had wonderful eyes, “like two stars”, and hands so white and delicate that they did not seem to be those of a carpenter. At the end of the Holy Mass, the nurse sister returned to the infirmary and was surprised to see one of the two chairs out of place. She herself, before the Holy Mass, had left everything in order and knew well that Sister Gertrudis, being as ill as she was, could not move from the bed . Upon hearing that “the carpenter” had entered, the nurse sister went to verify what had happened with Sister Rose Mary, the doorkeeper, who assured her that no one had entered.
They returned to the infirmary and, to their amazement, they found Sister Gertrudis standing, full of strength. The swelling had disappeared, the pain had ceased, and any discomfort was gone. They immediately informed the Abbess, Mother Clara María of the Most Holy Sacrament, who knew well that the sister was very devoted to St Joseph and that, since the beginning of her illness, she had prayed a lot to the Saint asking to be cured on one of his feast days. Then, with ardent faith, she took the two chairs and knelt down to pray:
“St Joseph, if it was really You who came this morning, let me see which chair You sat on”.
One of the two chairs began to move before the eyes of all those present. The Mother, followed by all the sisters, embraced the chair and, crying, thanked God for having deigned to grant the community such a great grace.
Since then, for any need, the nuns pray before the “chair of St Joseph” to implore the intercession of the Holy Patriarch. Sister Gertrudis was healed of terminal cancer and enjoyed excellent health in a hidden life of prayer and simplicity. She died on Holy Thursday in 1920 at the age of 81. She was 33 years old when she was cured by St Joseph.
Currently, the monastery is under the protection of the Servants of the Lord and the Virgin of Matará, belonging to the contemplative branch of the Institute of the Incarnate Word. The miraculous chair is on display in the monastery chapel for the veneration of the faithful. At its feet, small pieces of paper can be placed in a basket with written intentions supplicating the intercession of St Joseph. The sisters also distribute small pieces of fabric that have touched the chair. It is possible to communicate with the monastery and request prayers.
- For more information about this Church, visit the website of the Servants of the Lord and the Virgin of Matará in Italy.
- Location: Via del monastero, 3 – 01022 Tuscania (VT) – Italy
5. Royal Shrine of St Joseph of the Mountain (Barcelona, Spain)
The Royal Shrine of St Joseph of the Mountain is located in the La Salud neighborhood, in the Gracia district of Barcelona. It is a Neo-Romanesque building complex with modernist elements, composed of a sanctuary, convent, and adjacent chapel. It was designed by Francisco Berenguer, a close collaborator of Antonio Gaudí.
Its construction was promoted by the Blessed Mother Petra of Saint Joseph, who had arrived in Barcelona in 1890 with the intention of creating a home for orphaned girls. Mother Petra had founded the Religious Family of the Mothers of the Abandoned, which was dedicated to the care of the elderly, sick, and abandoned children. After several moves, they managed to establish themselves in Torre Masferrer, in a mountainous area without trees, popularly known as Bald Mountain. The home and sanctuary were built there thanks to donations from the people of Barcelona.
In 1900, the image of St Joseph was moved to the provisional altar. This transfer led to an increase in pilgrimages to the sanctuary. The devotion to the Saint of the Bald Mountain was well-known in Barcelona at the time and gave rise to the current name of the shrine as Saint Joseph of the Mountain. The fame of the Shrine grew, and in 1908, King Alfonso XIII granted the shrine the title of Royal. Likewise, Pope Benedict XV, in 1920, granted the Canonical Coronation of St Joseph of the Mountain. However, the image was replaced by a more modest one due to the unrest of the 1930s in Spain.
During the Spanish Civil War, the Shrine was desecrated, looted, and burned. All documentation and archives from that time disappeared. The remains of Blessed Mother Petra were also stolen. With the end of the war, the worship of Saint Joseph and the shrine were restored. In less than two years, and thanks to the determination of Mother Laureana, the then Superior General of the Mothers of the Abandoned, the sanctuary was reconstructed and the image of the saint was re-crowned.
At the feet of the beautiful image of St Joseph, thousands of letters from all over the world can be seen. They are messengers of gratitude, urgent pleas for solutions to troubles, and sweet hopes placed in the father who grants so much. Letters can be sent by email to the following address: santuariosanjosem@gmail.com.
- For more information about this Church, visit the website of the Royal Sanctuary of St Joseph of the Mountain.
- Location: Av. Sant Josep de la Muntanya 24/ Barcelona / 08024.
6. National Shrine of St Joseph of Kalisz (Poland)
The National Shrine of St Joseph in Kalisz is the oldest shrine in the world dedicated to the protector of the Holy Family. Kalisz, the oldest city in Poland, is home to the first crowned image of the adoptive father of Jesus, an image that has been associated with countless miracles since 1670.
That year, St Joseph appeared in a dream to a man in the nearby town of Szulec. This man was paralyzed, and his suffering was such that he had prayed for God to end his life. Joseph promised him that he would recover if he had an image of the Holy Family made according to his instructions and gave it to the church of the Assumption of Our Lady, which dates back to the 12th century. The man obeyed this mysterious command and was healed.
Soon, many Catholics began to arrive in Kalisz to make their petitions before the extraordinary image of St Joseph, who is depicted with Mary, Jesus, God the Father, and the Holy Spirit. In 1770, due to the numerous graces received through their prayers, the painting was declared “miraculous”, and 26 years later, a representative of Pope Pius VI visited the sanctuary to ceremoniously crown the image. By the end of the 18th century, the sanctuary had received about 1,000 votive offerings to give thanks for healings and help obtained through the intercession of St. Joseph.
Among the most remarkable miracles attributed to the intercession of St Joseph of Kalisz is the liberation of prisoners from the Dachau concentration camp. At the end of World War II, Himmler had ordered that all prisoners be massacred before they were liberated by the Allied forces. A group of eight hundred prisoners, including Polish priests and laypeople, devoted to St Joseph, prayed a novena and prepared to consecrate themselves to the saint.
A week later, the American soldiers liberated the camp. The priests made a pilgrimage of thanksgiving to the shrine of Kalisz in 1948 and returned every year for several decades after, fulfilling the vow they made in Dachau to spread devotion to St Joseph, praying for the conversion of their torturers and for the souls of those who died in the camp.
This shrine was very dear to St. John Paul II. The Shrine of St Joseph of Kalisz is a very important center for the defense of the family and the protection of human life in all its stages.
- For more information about this Church, visit the website of the Sanctuary of St Joseph of Kalisz.
- Location: Świętego Józefa 7, 62-800, Kalisz.
7. National Shrine of St. Joseph (Metropolitan Cathedral of St. Joseph, Costa Rica)
The National Shrine of St Joseph is located in the Metropolitan Cathedral of San José in Costa Rica. This Latin American country has been characterized by a fervent devotion to the holy patriarch since its foundation.
The Franciscan missionaries who promoted the evangelization of its territory founded the first settlements under the patronage of the Adoptive Father of Jesus. Thus, in 1705, the settlement of San José Cabecar was born, in 1748 San José de Pejibaye, and in 1756 the construction of the church and convent of San José de Orosi began. From these settlements, the devotion to St Joseph spread to the Central Valley.
On a plain located between the Torres and María Aguilar rivers, in 1737, the “Parish Aid of San José in the Boca del Monte of the Aserrí Valley” was born. There, the Costa Rican capital city was born under the patronage of St Joseph. In a hermitage, the first image of the saint is venerated . In 1776, the first church was built on the site where the sanctuary stands today.
In 1850, the Diocese of San José de Costa Rica was founded, which took as its coat of arms a lily, the symbol of the most chaste Joseph, and the biblical phrase “Ite ad Ioseph” (“Go to Joseph”), with which in the Old Testament, the Pharaoh of Egypt, faced with the famine that was ravaging the country, sends his people to Joseph, the son of Jacob, who was the administrator of the granaries, to provide for the needs of the people. The same allusion has been used for the Joseph of the New Testament, so that in the needs of the Church, she may confidently turn to the one who nourished the Son of God on earth.
St Joseph was appointed captain of the Josephine militias that defended Costa Rican sovereignty in the 19th century. The soldiers entrusted themselves to his protection and upon returning, they made a pilgrimage to the Cathedral to thank him for his help.
During the cholera plague, the whooping cough epidemic, and the locust plague that struck Costa Rica between 1873 and 1877, the image of St Joseph was taken out in procession, and prayers were said to him, begging him to free his people from these scourges.
Along with Our Lady of the Angels, St Joseph is co-patron of Costa Rica.
Following the renewed momentum that the Holy Pope Francis gave to the figure of St Joseph by convening the Year of Saint Joseph in 2021, the Metropolitan Cathedral was established as the National Shrine to Saint Joseph.
- For more information about this Church, visit the website of the National Shrine of St Joseph.
- Location: Second Avenue, Central Street, Av. 2, San José Province, San José, Costa Rica.
Remember that, to get the most out of your visit to any of these sanctuaries, the best thing you can do is take the opportunity to confess, adore the Blessed Sacrament and participate in the Holy Mass. St Joseph yearns for you to be reconciled with God, to spend time repairing the sorrows of his Son’s Sacred Heart, present in the Eucharist, and to participate in the Sacrifice of the Cross in which he, along with all the angels and saints, is spiritually present.
You can use the Catholic Mass Times application to find the nearest Catholic church with schedules for Mass, Confession and Adoration. It will surely be useful! Download it now.
What is the importance of the shrines of St Joseph?
The Shrines of St Joseph are pilgrimage sites dedicated to the patron saint, recognized for their miracles and profound spiritual influence. These shrines serve as centers of prayer and hope, strengthening the faith of believers by honoring the intercession of Saint Joseph.
What miracle marked the Shrine of St Joseph in Cotignac, France?
At the Shrine of St Joseph in Cotignac, it is said that a young shepherd, following Saint Joseph’s order, moved a rock to discover a spring of fresh water. This miraculous event has turned this place into one of the venerated Shrines of Saint Joseph, attracting numerous pilgrims seeking healing and comfort.
Which is the oldest Shrine of St Joseph?
The oldest Sanctuary of St Joseph is in Kalisz, Poland.
How do the Shrines of St Joseph influence the spiritual life of the faithful?
The Shrines of St Joseph are havens of faith that inspire believers to renew their spiritual commitment. By visiting these sacred places, the faithful experience miracles, receive comfort, and strengthen their devotion, remembering St Joseph’s protection and love in their lives.
