According to Bishop Emile Bougaud, the Visitation Order is the sanctuary of the Sacred Heart of Jesus.
Prior to the revelations to St. Margaret Mary, the founders of the Visitation, St. Francis de Sales and St. Jane de Chantal, realized through inspiration that the Sacred Heart of Jesus was integral to the foundation of this new congregation.
“At the moment of Mme. de Chantal’s departure for Annecy to begin the foundation of the Institute, St. Francis de Sales wrote her a line to animate her courage : ” My advice, my daughter, is, that henceforth we live no more in ourselves, but that in heart, intention, and confidence we lodge forever in the pierced side of the Saviour.”
Again, on the eve of her entrance : ” My daughter, I must tell you that I have never seen so clearly how much you are my daughter as now. But I say it as I see it in the Heart of our Saviour.‘ O my daughter, how I desire that your life be hidden with Jesus Christ in God ! I am going to make a little prayer for this, in which I shall implore the royal heart of the Saviour for ours.” ‘
And to his daughters gathered around him in those first sweet moments of the little ” Gallery House” he says : ” The other day, considering in prayer the open side of our Saviour, and gazing upon His Heart, I seemed to see all our hearts around His, doing Him homage as the Sovereign King of hearts.”
Thus we behold the image under which St. Francis loved to represent to himself his little congregation, his daughters lodged in the Heart of Jesus, or their hearts surrounding and rendering homage to the Heart of Jesus.”
(Bishop Bougaud: The Life of St Margaret Mary)