The town grew up around a monastery in about 970. It was the great monk-builder Saint Hugues de Semur (XIIth), the abbot of Cluny, who built ,on the site, the church we know today. Having survived the revolution after the departure of the monks, thanks to its purchase by the town, it was restored from 1856 by Eugene Millet, pupil of Violet-le-Duc. Elevated to the rank of basilica of the Sacré-Coeur (Sacred Heart) by Pius IX in 1875, today it is a parish church. This essential monument of Burgundy represents the most successfully completed model of Cluniac Romanesque architecture.

It was also at Paray-le-Monial that Jesus appeared to Saint Margaret Mary Alacoque (1647-1690), revealing to her his Heart burning with love for man. A young girl from the region, Margaret Mary entered the monastery of the Visitation in Paray-le-Monial in 1671. She experienced numerous apparitions which were confirmed by her confessor, a Jesuit, Saint Claude La Colombière. Jesus requested the introduction of the feast of the Sacred Heart, which would take place every year in June. Following these apparitions, the spirituality of the Sacred Heart spread throughout the whole world. Saint Margaret Mary was canonised on 13th May 1920 and Saint Claude la Colombière on 12th May 1992.
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Discovering the town

It is still possible to stroll through the town centre of Paray le Monial, to discover the main attractions notably, the Maison Jayat (present town hall), built during the Renaissance by a wealthy clothing merchant, the Saint-Nicolas tower (XVIth) the former parish church, nowadays an exhibition centre, the chapel of the Visitation (XVIIth), place of the apparitions of the Sacred Heart, La Colombière chapel (1930), built by the Jesuits in honour of Saint Claude la Colombière. The town’s pedestrian area enables one to follow the Bourbince and the canal of the Centre, from Gué-Léger to the Moulin Liron park. From the pedestrian area, access is available to the walking trails, to go at one's own pace, using the small streets and shaded paths.

Every summer, Paray le Monial hosts temporary exhibitions linked to the next re-opening of the Hiéron Eucharistic Museum (2004). The mosaic centre (Paul Charnoz museum and Association Aime comme mosaïque) also offers courses and exhibitions every year.