The Catholic Pilgrim's Guide to Vendeville, France

France's national sanctuary of Saint Rita, where a humble plaster statue arrived in 1928 and now draws 120,000 pilgrims annually seeking the Patroness of Impossible Causes.

In 1928, a parish priest in a small village south of Lille opened the Catholic newspaper La Croix and found an unusual classified advertisement. A woman from the rue d'Arras in Lille, Jeanne Dypersin, was offering a statue of Saint Rita to whichever poor parish would accept it—her way of thanking the saint for a grace received. Abbé Henri Dumortier, curé of the modest Église Saint-Eubert in Vendeville, answered the call. The statue—a simple plaster figure of no great artistic value—arrived by train at the station in Seclin, five kilometers away. Two young brothers from a local farming family, Omer and Alfred Delbecque, ages twelve and fifteen, hitched their horse to a cart and brought the saint home to Vendeville through the flat, fertile plains of the Mélantois. On May 20, 1928, Abbé Dumortier solemnly blessed the statue and installed it in the back of the nave. Within two years, a relic arrived from the Basilica of Cascia in Italy, where Saint Rita's incorrupt body rests. What began as a humble gesture of gratitude has become one of France's most visited pilgrimage sites. Today, some 120,000 pilgrims pass through this red-brick Gothic church each year—more than one hundred times the village's population. They come from across France, from Belgium just a few kilometers north, and increasingly from Poland, Brazil, and beyond. The walls of the sanctuary are covered with thousands of ex-votos: marble plaques, handwritten notes, photographs, and tokens of thanksgiving that testify to graces received through the intercession of the "Patroness of Impossible Causes." In September 2023, Vendeville was designated the 21st Ville Sanctuaire de France, joining illustrious company: Lourdes, Mont-Saint-Michel, Lisieux, Rocamadour, and Vézelay.

📜 History & Spiritual Significance

The story of Vendeville's sanctuary is inseparable from the remarkable life of Saint Rita herself. Born Margherita Lotti in 1381 in the Umbrian village of Roccaporena near Cascia, Rita experienced every state of life—daughter, wife, mother, widow, and religious—making her a saint for everyone who feels trapped by impossible circumstances. Married at twelve to a violent man involved in blood feuds, Rita endured eighteen years of a difficult marriage with extraordinary patience, eventually winning her husband's conversion. After Paolo was murdered by enemies, Rita's twin sons vowed revenge. Rather than see them commit mortal sin, she prayed that God would take them first—and both died of illness within the year. Alone at last, Rita sought admission to the Augustinian monastery in Cascia, but was refused because of her husband's feuding past. Only after she reconciled the warring families did the convent doors open. For forty years, Sister Rita lived a hidden life of prayer and penance. In 1442, while meditating on Christ's Passion, a thorn from His crown pierced her forehead—a stigmata she bore until death. In the frozen January before she died, her cousin found a perfect rose blooming in Rita's childhood garden: a sign that her Beloved was calling her home. She died on May 22, 1457, and was canonized in 1900 as the "Patroness of Impossible Causes." Back in Vendeville, the arrival of Saint Rita transformed a sleepy parish church into a place of miracles. From 1928 onward, pilgrims began arriving in ever-greater numbers. Abbé Maerten, who succeeded Dumortier, established the annual novena—nine days of prayer culminating on May 22, Saint Rita's feast day—that continues to draw thousands. The faithful come with roses to be blessed, following the tradition of the miraculous winter rose. The sanctuary survived the trials of the twentieth century. During the Second World War, German forces occupying the nearby Lesquin airfield ordered the church spire dismantled to facilitate aircraft movements—a wound the community repaired after liberation. Through it all, pilgrims kept coming. In 2020, the Diocese of Lille officially designated Saint-Eubert a diocesan sanctuary. Three years later came national recognition as a Ville Sanctuaire de France. For the 2025 Jubilee Year, Bishop Laurent Ulrich designated Vendeville as one of only two "sanctuaires jubilaires" in the diocese, alongside Lille Cathedral—a place where pilgrims can receive the plenary indulgence.

☩ Sanctuary of Saint Rita (Église Saint-Eubert)

The sanctuary stands at the edge of Vendeville village, its elegant brick spire visible across the flat Flemish plains. Built between 1866 and 1874 in neo-Gothic style, the church features the warm red brick and white stone trim characteristic of northern France. The slender spire rises above four small pinnacles, a landmark for pilgrims approaching from Lille or Seclin. Église Saint-Eubert (Sanctuary of Saint Rita) 📍 Address: 38 rue de Seclin, 59175 Vendeville, France 📌 GPS: 50.5761529, 3.0805519 🗺️ Google Maps: Open Map 🌐 Website: sanctuairesainterita-vendeville.fr ☩ Dedication: Saint Eubert (original); Saint Rita of Cascia (pilgrimage) The church was originally dedicated to Saint Eubert, a companion of Saint Piat who evangelized this region in the third century. The interior reflects multiple renovations: the original nineteenth-century paintings by local artist Gérard Thibault were replaced over time, with new murals completed in 2012 that honor both the original designs and the sanctuary's devotion to Saint Rita. The Chapel of Saint Rita occupies a prominent position near the choir, bathed in the warm glow of countless votive candles. Above the altar, the original 1928 statue—that humble plaster figure from La Croix classified ad—gazes down at pilgrims with a gentle expression. Below rests the reliquary containing bone fragments from Saint Rita's incorrupt body in Cascia. The walls surrounding the chapel are covered with ex-votos: engraved marble plaques reading "Merci Sainte Rita" or "Reconnaissance à Sainte Rita," photographs of loved ones, military medals from both World Wars, wedding announcements, and countless handwritten petitions. Many date from the darkest days of the German occupation, when families prayed desperately for sons, husbands, and fathers. The sheer density of these offerings—once covering the walls to the ceiling—testifies to nearly a century of answered prayers. Adjacent to the church, a modern pilgrim shop offers devotional items: statues, medals, rosaries, candles for the nine-day novena, and bottles of "huile de Sainte Rita"—oil blessed at the sanctuary.

🕯️ Annual Feast Days & Celebrations

May 22 – Feast of Saint Rita Sanctuary of Saint Rita. The climax of the annual novena, nine days of prayer beginning May 13. Pilgrims arrive bearing roses to be blessed—recalling the miraculous winter rose of Rita's final days. Solemn Masses, processions, and the traditional "Bénédiction des Roses" draw thousands from across France and Belgium. August 15 – Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary Sanctuary of Saint Rita. A major pilgrimage day when devotion to Saint Rita joins the universal feast of Our Lady's Assumption, with special Masses and blessing of the sick.

🛏️ Where to Stay

B&B Hotel Lille Seclin Unexpo ⭐⭐ 📍 Address: ZAC de l'Épinette, Rue de l'Hôtellerie, 59113 Seclin, France 🌐 Website: hotel-bb.com 🔗 Booking: Reserve this hotel Modern budget hotel located 5 minutes from Lille-Lesquin Airport and 10 minutes from Lille city center. Free parking, breakfast buffet, air-conditioned rooms. Just 4 km from the sanctuary. Première Classe Lille Sud-Seclin ⭐ 📍 Address: Rue de l'Hôtellerie, 59113 Seclin, France 🌐 Website: lille-sud-seclin.premiereclasse.com 🔗 Booking: Reserve this hotel Economy hotel near the A1 motorway with 24-hour automated reception, free parking, and easy access to both the sanctuary and Lille. Simple, clean rooms ideal for pilgrims on a budget.

🚗 Getting There

By Air: Lille-Lesquin Airport (LIL) lies just 5 km from Vendeville, with connections to major European cities. Brussels Airport (BRU) is 110 km north; Paris Charles de Gaulle (CDG) is 220 km south. By Train: Lille-Flandres and Lille-Europe stations serve high-speed trains from Paris (1 hour by TGV), Brussels (35 minutes by Eurostar), and London (1 hour 20 minutes by Eurostar). From Lille, take bus line 55 toward Seclin and alight at "Vendeville Centre" or arrange a taxi (15 minutes). By Car: From the A1 motorway (Paris-Lille), take exit 19 toward Seclin/Centre Commercial. The sanctuary is signposted from the commercial zone. Free parking available near the church. From Lille city center, follow the D549 south through Faches-Thumesnil (approximately 10 km, 15 minutes). Local Transport: Bus line 55 connects Lille to Seclin via Vendeville. The Transpole network covers the Lille metropolitan area.

📚 Further Reading

Articles & Online Resources:

🎥 Recommended Videos

🔗 Useful Links

🧭 Nearby Pilgrimage Destinations

Seclin (5 km) – The Collegiate Church of Saint-Piat, the oldest religious building in the Lille metropolitan area, preserves the tomb of this third-century martyr in a Romanesque crypt dating to the tenth century. The 42-bell carillon, installed in 1933, plays traditional Ch'ti melodies including the beloved "P'tit Quinquin" every quarter hour. Lille (15 km) – The Cathedral of Notre-Dame-de-la-Treille, completed only in 1999 after 150 years of construction, houses a miraculous statue of the Virgin venerated since the twelfth century. The Old Lille quarter offers Flemish Baroque architecture and the magnificent Church of Saint-Maurice. Tournai, Belgium (30 km) – Just across the border, the Cathedral of Our Lady is a UNESCO World Heritage Site with five towers and Romanesque nave, one of the finest medieval cathedrals in Europe.

🪶 Closing Reflection

"It is to be hoped that the life of everyone devoted to her will be like the rose picked in the garden of Roccaporena the winter before the saint's death. That is, let it be a life sustained by passionate love for the Lord Jesus; a life capable of responding to suffering and to thorns with forgiveness and the total gift of self."

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— Pope Saint John Paul II, Address on the Centenary of Saint Rita's Canonization, May 20, 2000