Saint Joseph of Good Hope

The Basilica of Saint Joseph of Good Hope, located in Espaly-Saint-Marcel, in the Haute-Loire department of France, consists of a basilica, a chapel in a cave, and a monumental statue of Saint Joseph. This building was built on the foundations of an ancient fortified castle.
 
The 72-foot high statue of Saint Joseph is the work of Jesuit friar André Besqueut, whose design was selected by Pope Pius X. It depicts Saint Joseph holding the infant Jesus upright on a workbench. Cement was poured into a formwork composed of 70 molds made by the Debert workshops in Paris. The total weight of the statue is estimated at approximately 80 tons.
 
It was solemnly inaugurated and blessed by the Bishop of Puy-en-Velay, Monsignor Thomas François Boutry, on April 11, 1910.




The Basilica with a close-up of the life of   Saint Joseph that appears on the basilica's back wall.






The shrine has been open to Catholic worship since March 19, 1880, when the first mass was celebrated. In 1937, it became a parish.



The Grotto. Masses are held here in a more intimate space.

Here the faithful may write their prayer intentions and place them under the altar cloth.





The basilica has two crenellated towers inspired by the feudal castle it replaced on the rock. It was built between 1913 and 1918 by Abbot Fontanille. The shrine has been open to Catholic worship since March 19, 1880, when the first mass was celebrated.   In 1937, it became a parish.
 
Two pilgrimages take place each year: March 19, the Feast of Saint Joseph, husband of Mary; and May 1, the Feast of Saint Joseph the Worker. On this occasion, his crowned statue is carried in procession from the Shrine of Our Lady of the Annunciation in Le Puy-en-Velay to the Shrine of Saint Joseph of Good Hope.




Source :  Basilique Saint-Joseph-de-Bon-Espoir
https://fr.wikipedia.org/wiki/Basilique_Saint-Joseph-de-Bon-Espoir