Ars-Sur-Formans: Holiday Apartments and Holiday Homes

Ars-sur-Formans is closely associated with pilgrimage and sacred history. The Basilica of Saint-Sixte is classified as a historic monument. Its Chapel of Sainte-Philomène contains ex-votos from the 19th and 20th centuries, including wooden crutches, engraved marble plaques and embroidered pictures.

Renting a holiday apartment in Ars-sur-Formans can be part of planning your personal stay.

Culture

The Musée de cire d'Ars includes an exhibition area that places the life of Jean-Marie Vianney from 1786 to 1859 in its historical context. The museum uses audio boxes for its immersive presentation of the history of the pilgrimage and its impact on the village.

The Chapelle du Cœur dates from 1930. It houses an ivory-inlaid bronze reliquary containing the heart relic of the Saint Curé d'Ars.

History

The Basilica of Sainte-Sixte was built at the end of the 19th century by Pierre-Marie Bossan on the foundations of a Romanesque chapel dating from the 12th century. The Maison du Saint Curé d'Ars is an 18th-century house preserved in its original condition. The furniture, liturgical objects and personal belongings of the Saint Curé d'Ars are displayed there. Notre-Dame de la Miséricorde is an underground church from the 20th century.

Getting around

The Ars Tourist Office offers guided tours of the village of Ars-sur-Formans for groups of 10 or more. The tours last approximately 1 hour and 30 minutes.

The walk to the Monument de la Rencontre and back takes 45 minutes. From the viewpoint at the Monument de la Rencontre, you can see the village and the basilica, as well as the Monts d'Or and Beaujolais. The Monument de la Rencontre symbolises the arrival of the Curé d'Ars in his future parish.

The signposted 16 km circular route “Le Chemin du Curé d'Ars” can be completed on foot or by bicycle along the route used by the Saint Curé d'Ars between Ars and Montmerle-sur-Saône. Cycle routes from Ars-sur-Formans lead to the Via Rhôna.

Further destinations: Arbigny, Thoiry, Curciat-Dongalon, Péron, Lhuis, Le Grand-Abergement, Montmerle-Sur-Saône, Béligneux.

To the higher-level travel overview: Ain.