THINK ABOUTIT ENTITY SIGHTING REPORT
Date: May 1664
Sighting Time:
Day/Night: daytime
Location: Grenoble (Saint-Étienne-le-Laus), France
Urban or Rural: –
Entity Type: Virgin Mary
Entity Description: St. Maurice – elderly man in a red robe | Virgin Mary
Hynek Classification: CE-III (Close Encounter III) Close observation with animate beings associated with the object.
Duration:
No. of Object(s): 2
Size of Object(s):
Distance to Object(s):
Shape of Object(s):
Color of Object(s):
Number of Witnesses: Benoite Rencurel (17-year-old shepherdess)
Special Features/Characteristics: “delicious perfumes” or odors.
Source: Marian Apparitions; Appearances of The Blessed Virgin Mary Our Lady of La Laus
Summary/Description: 17-year old shepherdess Benoit Rencurel was out working on the hillside near a ruined chapel and had just finished her rosary when an elderly man in a red robe appeared to her, introducing himself as St. Maurice. He found for her a spring of water that she had not seen before, and then told her to go with her sheep to a small valley near St. Etienne “where a great grace would be granted her.”
Being a devout girl, she went to the valley the next day. At a spot known as Les Fours she saw the first of a series of visions of a lady and child that were to occur regularly over a period of two months. When asked who she was the figure replied: “I am Mary, the Mother of Jesus. It is the will of my son that I should be honored in this parish though not in this spot. You will therefore ask the priest to come here with his people in procession.” A number of healings and miraculous cures were claimed and accepted by ecclesiastical authorities. It is interesting to note that at times the apparition was accompanied by “delicious perfumes” or odors.
Investigative Analysis
The 1664 encounter at Saint-Étienne-le-Laus represents a fascinating intersection between traditional religious hagiography and modern Close Encounter (CE-III) typology. While classified as a Marian apparition, the initial appearance of St. Maurice—described as an elderly man in a red robe—mirrors “guide” entities often reported in anomalous events.
A standout feature of this case is the persistent report of “delicious perfumes”. In parapsychological and ufological studies, these “supernatural odors” are known as osmogenesis. This physical phenomenon provides a tangible layer to the witness’s testimony, moving the event beyond a purely visual hallucination into a multi-sensory experience. The discovery of a previously unknown spring further grounds the event in physical reality, a common hallmark of high-strangeness cases where the environment is permanently altered.
From a historical perspective, the Vatican’s formal recognition of these events in 2008 adds a layer of documented witness reliability that is rare for 17th-century sightings.
