Ermitage du frère Joseph

Ventron

What remains of a hermit who died more than two centuries ago? At Ventron, a chapel and a stone house beneath the fir trees. Pierre-Joseph Formet, known as Brother Joseph, was born in 1724 at Lomontot, in Haute-Saône, into a poor family. He was a soldier from 1741 to 1746, then withdrew to the Vosges, where Thomas Colin persuaded him to settle at Ventron. The inhabitants first built him a shelter, then the present building, completed in 1757: under one roof, the chapel and the dwelling. Joseph lived there thirty-three years and died there in 1784; according to the commune's leaflet, about ten thousand people attended his funeral. In 1903, Pope Leo XIII signed the decree declaring him venerable. A Way of the Cross of 1924 follows the route he took between the hermitage and the church. The site was listed in 1935, and the hermitage has been inscribed as a Historic Monument since 5 April 1993.

Commune de Ventron — dépliant Frère Joseph ↗

Getting there: About 3 km from Ventron, on the colline des Buttes, by waymarked paths; parking possible. The exterior can be visited freely at any time. The hermitage belongs to the commune; for the interior and opening times, apply to the tourist office (tel. 03 29 24 18 18). Pilgrimage mass on the last Sunday of July.

Opening times and access details are given as a guide only: check before you set out.

Ambient sound