Saint Joseph’s apparitions in Cotignac, France (1660)

On June 7, 1660, the very same day that Louis XIV welcomed the Infanta of Spain for their upcoming wedding in Saint-Jean-de-Luz, a man of "imposing stature" appeared in the south of France and came to the aid of a thirsty young shepherd named Gaspard Ricard, announcing to him: "I am Joseph. Lift this rock and you will be able to drink". This is one of the very few apparitions of Saint Joseph, and it took place just a stone's throw from Cotignac, where the Virgin Mary and the Infant Jesus had already appeared a few decades earlier, surrounded by Saint Michael and Saint Bernard of Clairvaux. Cotignac is therefore like another Nazareth: a secluded place, far from the world, where Jesus, Mary and Joseph can be found!

Fronton de l'église du monastère Saint-Joseph-du-Bessillon /© CC BY-SA 4.0/GB Laissac

Reasons to believe:

The story is historically undisputed.
In the moment, Gaspard managed to move the huge boulder that the apparition had pointed to, without difficulty, allowing the spring to flow. And yet, as it turned out, this was humanly impossible: eight men together were barely able to move it.
The fact that the apparition caused a spring to emerge in the middle of a Provençal forest is remarkable, and lends credibility to the event.
Numerous miracles were soon witnessed on the spot, and a few months later, on January 31, 1661, Bishop Joseph Ondedei of Fréjus acknowledged the apparitions.
The datecoincidence with the marriage of King Louis XIV "Dieudonné" ("Godgiven"), who had previously been a pilgrim to Cotignac in thanksgiving for his miraculous birth (see The birth of King Louis XIV "Dieudonné") following the prayers of Brother Fiacre, is astonishing.
The spring and the shrine have continued to attract visitors and pilgrims, and witnessed miracles for over three centuries.

Summary:

On June 7, 1660, Gaspard Ricard was grazing his sheep in the intense heat, on Mount Bessillon. Completely dehydrated, he lay down on the hot ground. Suddenly, a man stood beside him and pointed to a rock, saying: "I am Joseph. Lift it up and drink."

The rock was heavy. Later, eight men could barely lift it. Gaspard thought he was joking, but the "venerable old man", as the story goes, repeated his order. Gaspard obeyed, moved the rock effortlessly and discovered freshwater beginning to trickle. He drank greedily. When he stood up, he was alone. "That's all; as in the Gospel, St. Joseph doesn't talk much. Nothing could be simpler or poorer than this intervention, which is, to my knowledge, the only apparition of this kind of St. Joseph in the history of the Church, on a land that Our Lady had reserved for herself," wrote Bishop Barthe of Fréjus-Toulon in his pastoral letter of February 1, 1971.

Gaspard had no doubts about the reality of the apparition, and neither did the people of Cotignac. The news spread with amazing speed. Pilgrims flocked to the fountain from all parts of the province and surrounding countries: cripples and sick people of all kinds, most of whom returned cured or comforted in their afflictions. The gatherings were considerable and, after the immediate construction of an oratory on the spot, a larger chapel was consecrated in 1663, the one we see today, with its rood beam bearing an evocative verse from the Prophet Isaiah:

"Come and draw joyfully from the Savior's springs."

"Haurietis aquas in gaudio de fontibus Salvatoris.

Benedictine sisters of the La-Font-Saint-Joseph-du-Bessillon monastery

Beyond reasons to believe:

Saint Joseph is an extraordinary saint who deserves to be better known. We recommend the book Joseph, modèle de vie, si important pour notre temps, published by Marie de Nazareth Productions. As it explains: "How many lessons can we learn from St. Joseph, the just, attentive and silent benefactor!"