The hostel for pilgrims to the Shrine, inaugurated in 2019 under the name of "Maison d'accueil Louis et Zélie" is a former dispensary of the Sisters of Mercy of Sées, a congregation founded in 1823 to welcome poor girls into religious life and to care for the sick. Alençon was their first foundation (1825). They welcomed the sick who could not find a place at the hospice. The installation on Rue Etoupée dates from 1843, and the construction of the chapel adjoining the 1855 building. In August 1860, an agreement with the city allowed the sisters to hold a "charity office" until 1914. In the 1950s, the premises were transformed into a care center and a social shelter. The Community of Mercy left in 1979 and sold its monastery to the city, which set up a house for associations and unions as well as a daycare center. The municipality separated from this building, very outdated at the time, by ceding it in 2016 to the diocese of Séez which completely renovated it.
The chapel restored in 2018-2019 contains a very fine program of stained glass windows, evoking the different vocables of the Virgin Mary, contained in her litanies or in the Cantique des Cantiques: "Spiritual Vase, Morning Star, Enclosed Garden, Sealed Fountain, Cedar of Lebanon, etc..."
Today, the pilgrims' hostel welcomes about 6,000 people per year for meals and accommodation in order to visit the places of the Alençon Sanctuary. A dozen events and retreats offered by the Sanctuary take place there. Also, extended families celebrate their wedding anniversaries there.
Accessibility
* Mobility Impairment

Address
16 rue étoupée, 61000 Alençon, Orne, Normandie, France