In those times of unity and faith, when Europe was faced with great danger, in the year of 1519, Provence had been part of the French Kingdom for 38 years; the King being Francois 1st. The people were profoundly Christian. At that time being faithful, responsible, hard working, and being Christian were one and the same.
Sadly, in the same way as political Europe, the religious world itself was to know confrontations and schism. Two years earlier, the monk Martin Luther (1483 - 1546) had attached his 95 theses on the door of the Schlosskirke of Wittenburg. In March 1519, he assured the Pope Leo X of his faithfulness. Three years later, Germany was in turmoil and soon so was the best part of Europe.

Our Lady comes to give strength before these trials... : On the 10th August 1519, a woodcutter, Jean de la Baume, went up the Verdaille hill. He was alone. As usual, he started his day in prayer. As he got up from his knees, he saw a cloud from which appeared the Virgin Mary with baby Jesus in her arms, surrounded by St. Bernard of Clairvaux, St. Catherine the martyr and the St. Michael the Archangel. Our Lady was standing with her feet on a crescent moon. She spoke to John in the following way: I am the Virgin Mary. Go and tell the clergy and the Consuls of Cotignac to build me a church on this place in the name of Our Lady of Graces, and that they should come in procession to received the gifts which I wish to bestow. Then the vision disappeared. Was this a hallucination? Doubtful or not, John kept the message to himself, which entitled him to a second apparition of the Mother of God and of Graces! The next day, 11th August, having gone to the same spot to finish his wood cutting, he had the same vision and received the same request. This time, he decided to obey and went back down to the village immediately.