THE CAVES OF SAINT-ANTOINE OF PADUA

Just outside Brive-la-Gaillarde, between town and country, the national pilgrimage to Saint Anthony of Padua offers its five hectares of green park to walkers and pilgrims. Since Saint Anthony of Padua lived in these caves in 1226, this peaceful and harmonious site is intimately linked to the history of the Limousin. Having come to evangelize the south of France, the preacher spent nearly a year in the region, notably in Brive from the summer of 1226. He founded a convent there, on the site of the present-day post office. The cult of Saint Anthony of Padua spread very quickly. He was canonized by Pope Gregory IX and many caves quickly became places of pilgrimage. In Brive, the Franciscans built a hermitage above the central cave in 1360. Today, the new convent, the large church and the Way of the Cross make Brive the national center of the cult of Saint Anthony in France. Spiritual stops are also organized during Advent, Lent and Holy Week with daily teachings. The feasts of the shrine are those of St. Anthony on June 13, the Assumption on August 15 and the Feast of the Onions on the last Sunday of August. A community of Franciscan friars and lay people animate this shrine, assisted by a secular Franciscan fraternity. The house welcomes individuals, families and groups for a spiritual break, rest or vacation.