Monastère Saint-Joseph du Bessillon, Benedictine monastery in Cotignac, France

Monastère Saint-Joseph du Bessillon is a Benedictine monastery in Cotignac, at the foot of the Bessillon. The 17th-century church, consecrated in 1663, stands beside convent buildings rebuilt from ruins by architect Fernand Pouillon after 1975, whose sober design harmonises with the older stonework. A spring flows at the site.

A shepherd experienced an apparition of Saint Joseph at this location in 1660, which led to the discovery of a natural spring. This event marked the beginning of a sacred site that gradually developed into an established monastery over subsequent generations.

Pilgrims have come to this site since 1660, when Gaspard Ricard reported that Saint Joseph told him to lift a rock and drink. The spring that appeared is still visited, and the monastery keeps the 19 March feast of Saint Joseph. The Mater Dei sisters, who took over in 2019, welcome women and girls for retreats; men are housed at Notre-Dame de Grâces, reached by a forest path.

Visitors should be prepared for quiet paths and expect respectful behavior appropriate to an active religious community. Tours can be arranged, but it helps to contact ahead to understand the best times to visit and what to observe.

The spring is called the "fontaine de saint Joseph". Pilgrims have reported healings after drinking its water, or at least feeling better, and the site has drawn them since 1660. The monastery that grew around it is now run by the Mater Dei congregation from Argentina, which took over from the Benedictine nuns in 2019.