Day Pilgrimage to Ars

The Curé of Ars, St Jean-Marie-Baptiste Vianney was actually born and baptised in Dardilly, a suburb of greater Lyon, in 1786.  During the French Revolution, when clergy loyal to Rome had to minister in secret, the young Jean-Marie-Baptiste, at the age of thirteen, made his first Communion in a family barn in nearby Écully under the guidance of Abbé Charles Balley, who lived in the village and ministered in secret as the parish priest.  Even in his old age, Vianney wept whenever he spoke of that unforgettable day, and he treasured for life the simple rosary beads his mother had given him on the occasion.

Abbé Balley and Écully would go on to play a decisive role in shaping his future, becoming a huge influence in his life, and his priesthood.

After the Revolution ended and Napoleon Bonaparte and Pope Pius XVII signed the "Concordat" which meant the Church could operate openly again, Abbé Balley opened a small seminary, in Écully, under the direction of the Archbishop of Lyon (Napoleon's uncle). At the age of 20, Jean-Marie began his studies for the priesthood. His training was interrupted, however, when he was called up for military service to fight in the Spanish Civil War and unwittinlgy ended up classified as a “deserter,” despite being exempt as a seminarian. In 1810, an imperial decree granted amnesty to the deserters, allowing him to return home and resume his studies. On May 28, 1811, he received the Tonsure, marking his first formal step toward the priesthood.

Recognising his vocation and believing that proper training was essential, Balley sent Jean-Marie to the Petit Séminaire of Verrières in Loire, where he worked hard but struggled with philosophy and Latin. When he later entered the Grand Séminaire of Lyon, his difficulties with the language caused him to fall behind, and he was eventually asked to leave. Deeply discouraged, Jean considered joining a religious brotherhood instead. But, Abbé Balley refused to give up on him. 

Seeing the purity and strength of his pupil’s vocation, he arranged for Jean-Marie to continue his studies privately under his own direction at Écully.  With Balley’s guidance and encouragement, Jean’s perseverance was rewarded. Though he failed his first exam, a private evaluation arranged later through Balley’s support proved successful. His examiners rightly saw that his deep moral integrity and spiritual fervor far outweighed his academic challenges.

On August 13, 1815, Jean-Baptiste Vianney was ordained a priest — a moment he would later describe with reverent wonder:

“Oh, how great is the priest! The priest will only be understood in Heaven. Were he understood on earth, people would die, not of fear, but of love.”

Returning to Écully, his joy was complete when he learned that he would serve as curate to his beloved teacher and friend, Abbé Balley. The bond between them deepened as they worked side by side, united in prayer, fasting, and service. At first, the diocesan authorities denied Vianney the faculties to hear confessions, but Balley, recognizing his disciple’s holiness, obtained permission within a few months and became his first penitent.

On December 17, 1817, Abbé Balley died in the arms of his devoted pupil, who mourned him as one mourns a father. Though Vianney was known for his detachment from earthly possessions, he treasured one small keepsake—a little hand-mirror that had belonged to his mentor—saying tenderly, “It has reflected his countenance.”

Not long after Balley’s death, Jean Vianney received his first pastoral appointment — to the small, forgotten village of Ars, soon to be transformed by his faith and compassion into a place of pilgrimage that is now known throughout the world. 

Three times he tried to run away from his parish, believing himself unworthy of the parish priest’s mission, and seeing himself as more a screen for God’s goodness than a vector of His Love. The last time was less than six years before his death. He was caught in the middle of the night by his parishioners, who had sounded the tocsin. He returned to his church and began  hearing confessions until one o’clock in the morning.  At his funeral, over a thousand mourners gathered, including the bishop and every priest of the diocese, all coming to honor the man who had already become their spiritual exemplar.

His connection with Lyon, and especially with Fourvière, deeply continued after his appointment to Ars. Through a meeting with the Curé, Pierre Bossain, the principal architect of Fourvière, experienced a profound spiritual conversion. The Curé also served as spiritual director to Pauline Jaricot, whom he described as a saint. He made pilgrimages to the Chapel of Our Lady in Fourvière and, in 1836, consecrated his parish of Ars to Our Lady in Fourvière. Today, his heart is preserved in a reliquary at Ars, modeled as a replica of the Virgin’s Chapel from Fourvière.

Dom Étienne Balley

Abbé Charles Balley was the youngest of a family of 16 children. He was born on September 30, 1751. Five of the sixteen children entered the Church: two daughters became nuns and three boys became priests. One of those boys was Étienne. Baptised in Lyon's Saint Nizier church, he joined the Carthusian order, after he completed his studies, taking his vows in 1754. 

Twenty-five years later, he was forced to leave his monastery, the  Grande Chartreuse monastery, during the French Revolution. He returned to Lyon to live with his sisters Quai des Augustins. 

On the 24th October, 1793, he was arrested (along with many other clerics) after the siege of Lyon. He steadfastly refused to swear allegiance to the Republic or renounce his priesthood. Imprisoned for three months, he was eventually sentenced to death by guillotine along with eleven others on January 14, 1794.  Before his execution, he asked permission to kneel before the scaffold and pray for his comrades who would die before him. His fervour and courage in the face of death stirred the admiration of the crowd; even the most hardened among them perceived a quiet strength within him as he became the last of the group to face the guillotine.

Celebrated for his courage and devotion, he is among the 80 individuals the Diocese of Lyon has submitted to the Vatican for recognition as martyrs.

Contact us for a private day pilgrimage to Ars to discover more about this beautiful saint.