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Shrines Of France |
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France’s Catholic
heritage spans many centuries, and the
country’s devotion to Our Blessed Mother is
strong. There are many of the Marian shrines
which draw pilgrims from all over the world.
Deepen your devotion to our Blessed Mother
at these uplifting pilgrimage destinations.
Continued
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The
Shrine at Lourdes |
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In February
11, 1858, in the hollow rock of Massabielle, near Lourdes
in southern France, Our Blessed Virgin appeared in an
apparition to a poor, fourteen-year-old girl, Bernadette
Soubiroux 18 times.
She
revealed herself as the Immaculate Conception, asked that
a chapel be built on the site of the vision, and told the
girl to drink from a fountain in the hollow rock.
No fountain was to be seen, but when Bernadette dug at a
spot designated by the apparition, a spring began to flow.
The water from this still flowing spring has shown
remarkable healing power, though it contains no curative
property that science can identify.
A basilica
was consecrated and a statue solemnly crowned in 1876.
When the first church was no longer enough, a |
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larger
church was later built and consecrated in 1901. The new
basilica is called the Church of the Rosary. The feast
of the commemoration of the apparition is now observed
every February 11. |
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St.
Gildard's Convent at Nevers |
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St.
Gildard's Convent enshrines the uncorrupted body of
St. Bernadette. At the end of the eighteen
apparitions of the Virgin Mary in Lourdes, St Bernadette
lived for 12 years as a member of the Congregation of the
Sisters of Charity of Nevers.
Bernadette died at the age of 35 on April 16, 1879. After
her death her body was buried in the chapel garden. Her
body was discovered incorrupt in 1909 and in 1925 was put
into a shrine in the Chapel of St. Gilard. |
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Notre
Dame (Cathedral of Paris) |
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Notre Dame
de Paris (French for "Our Lady of Paris" or the church in
Paris dedicated to the Virgin Mary), is known simply as
Notre Dame. It is a Gothic cathedral on the eastern half
of the Île de la Cité in Paris, France, with its main
entrance to the west. It is still used as a Roman Catholic
cathedral (archbishop of Paris).
since its
completion in 1345, the Notre Dame has become world
renowned for its architecture, size and history. The
artwork is very detailed, with thousands of images
represented by sculptures, stained-glass windows, and
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gargoyles.
Many historical periods and biblical scenes are depicted in
its art. The size of the church is also impressive - it
can accommodate 6000 people during a religious ceremony.
The cathedral is famous because it houses the Crown of
Thorns and a piece of the True Cross (both are relics from
Christ's Passion). |
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While in
Italy, make every effort to visit and spend some time to
meditate in the hallowed walls of following churches:
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Notre
Dame de
Chartres |
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Notre-Dame de
Chartres has inspired pilgrims by its enormous towers,
which are visible from miles away. As early as 100 BC the
Druids considered this place sacred and converted to
Christianity approximately 45 AD.
In 876, the Sacred
Tunic, worn by the Blessed Virgin at time of Jesus’s
birth, was given to Chartres, by Emperor Charles II. Over
time many pilgrims have flocked to see this holy relic.
The Sacred Tunic survived the fire that destroyed the town
along with the original cathedral in
1194 the town. This inspired all to rebuild the cathedral.
Contributions came from all over; people came from all
over to work side- by-side on the new cathedral. By 1220
the present day cathedral was complete. During the French
Revolution the Sacred Tunic was cut up and dispersed;
however, part has been recovered. The cathedral is best
known for its 12th & 13th century stained glass windows.
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La Sainte Chapelle (Holy Chapel) |
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La Sainte
Chapelle was built to house the Crown of Thorns and a
piece of the True Cross from Christ's Passion.
King St.
Louis IX ordered this chapel to be built in 1246 and was
consecrated on April 26, 1248. The patron was the very
devout Louis IX of France, who constructed it as a chapel
for the royal palace.
It has many
stained-glass windows from the 13th century, making them
some of the oldest in the city. (windows in other churches
were destroyed during various wars) The relics are no
longer within but now reside in the Cathedral of Notre
Dame's treasury. |
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The Shrine
of Our Lady of La Salette |
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In a town
near Corps on September 1846
the Blessed Virgin Mary appeared to two children, Maximin
and Melanie who were at that time tending to cows. They saw was a globe of light, which opened to reveal a
resplendent woman seated on a stone with her head in her
hands.
The
children later described her as very tall and beautiful,
wearing a long, white, pearl studded, sleeved dress, and a
white shawl, with some sort of tiara or crown on her head.
Hanging from her neck was a large crucifix adorned with a
small hammer and pincers, with a brilliantly shining
figure of Christ on it. The whole effect was as if she was
made of light.
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The lady continued to weep and spoke about the loss of
religion in the area, the desecration of the Sabbath and
the profanity of her Son's name. After confiding different
secrets to Maximin and Melanie, she began to speak with
great hope of the good things to come if people amended
their lives. She asked, "Do you say your prayers"? It is
very important to do so at night and in the morning". She
concluded with, "Well, children, you will make this
message known to all my people." When they returned home
Maximin immediately told his family about the beautiful
lady. Upon hearing the story, their pious grandmother
exclaimed, "It is the Virgin that the children have seen.
She is the only one whose Son reigns in heaven!" When the
parish priest heard of the event, he broke into tears. An
hour later as he related the story in a sermon, his voice
trembled. Many interrogated the children in hopes of
trapping them into some contradiction. One May 1, 1852 the
bishop of Grenoble published a decree announcing the
construction of a shrine on the mountain of La Salette, as
well as founding the religious order Missionaries of Our
Lady of La Salette. |
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Le
Mont Saint Michel |
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In the
beginning of the 8th century, Saint Aubert, bishop of
Avranches, was ordered by Saint Michael to build a
sanctuary on the Mont-Tombe. Aubert was a bit reluctant
until the Archangel sticked his finger into Aubert's head.
In the past, Aubert's putative skull with the mark of the
Archangel's finger was exhibited in the cathedral of
Avranches. In the meantime, a geological disaster engulfed
the woody area around the Mount, which became an island on
which Aubert built the required sanctuary. |
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Our Lady of Le Puy |
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The ancient
Cathedral of Our Lady of Le Puy is on the valley between
the imposing structure of the chapel of Saint Michel d'Aiguilhe,
which is built the top of the volcanic hill, and the
A 55- foot statue of Our Lady of France. The Cathedral has
the almost exact replica of the original Black Madonna,
which was "convicted" in a mock trial, dragged, beheaded
and then burned at the stake. The Black Madonna of Le Puy,
made of black marble, is seated holding her Son on her
knees.
The
Cathedral of Our Lady of Le Puy was built after the
appearance of Our lady to a woman who was ill. Another
shrine was built at the site but was never consecrated
because when bishop arrived he found light and music
filling the chapel. He believed that the angels already
consecrated it.
The
statue of Our Lady was donated by the King of France,
later St. Louis. The tall, majestic figure of the Virgin
Mary is standing atop a globe, her foot crushing the head
of the serpent. She is crowned with 12 stars and is
holding the Child Jesus in her arms while he extends his
blessing to the world.
Le Puy is
a starting-point for the pilgrim route to Santiago de
Compostela, a walk of some 600 km, which still happen
today. |
“Saint
Michel d'Aiguilhe” Chapel
Le Puy
Cathedral of Notre-Dame
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Our Lady of Pontmain |
During the
Franco-Prussian War an image of a lady in the sky wearing
a black veil, blue robe decorated with golden stars and a
crown of gold appeared to a 12-year-old named Eugene Barbedette
then to Eugene's brother, Joseph, and 2 more children.
Her hair was completely covered with black veil thrown
over her shoulders reaching down to the level of her
elbow. On her head a gold crown rose slightly to a peak.
The Virgin Mary appeared in the sky holding a red cross
with the words "Jesus Christ" written above it. Below the
apparition was a white banner with a message of hope:
"Pray, my children, God will answer you in a short while.
My Son will let himself be moved."
The appearance of the Blessed
Virgin Mary was a sign of peace to Pontmain and France.
The following day the villagers learned that foreign
troops had retreated believing that "A Madonna is guarding
the country and forbidding us to advance". The Barbedette
brothers later became priests. Our Lady of Prayer is now
honored throughout the world. |
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Our Lady of Rocamadour |
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On a
cliff above a valley near Toulouse in France is the Shrine
of Our Lady of Rocamadour. According to
tradition the shrine started as a hermitage
in a cave near the river Alzou founded in the first
century by Zaccheus of Jericho. After the death of Zaccheus, his hermitage grew into a
place of pilgrimage and later became one of the most
celebrated shrines in Christendom.
First, a
miracle-working statue of the Blessed Virgin Mary was
brought to the shrine and thousands of pilgrims who heard
about the statue made the journey to Rocamadour to present
their petitions to the Blessed Mother. The sanctuary also
became well known for the 216 steps that led from the
valley below. These steps lead a visitor to the courtyard
of the religious city, which is surrounded by seven
churches and chapels. The Book of Miracles holds
testimonies
of favors granted to pilgrims, as well as countless other
testimonies on the walls of the shrine. |
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Sacre Coeur Basilica
(Sacred Heart Basilica) |
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One of most
impressive churches in France is Sacre Coeur Basilica.
Located on the top of Montmartre hill, the world-famous
Byzantine structure offers a sweeping view of Paris. A
funicular connects the bottom of Montmartre hill and the
entrance to Sacre Coeur Basilica. The basilica rests on
the site where the first bishop of Paris, St. Denis,
was beheaded (it is said that he picked up his head
and carried it 2 miles to the spot where the Abbey
Church of St. Denis now stands).
Built of
travertine stone quarried in Château-Landon
(Seine-et-Marne), France,
the
Sacré-Cœur basilica
remains white even with weathering and pollution
because of the calcite that the material constantly
exudes. |
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St Therese of Lisieux |
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Described by Pope Pius X
as "the greatest saint of modern times," St.
Therese wrote The Story of a Soul, her spiritual
autobiography, and captured the hearts of millions.
Therese came from a
devout and well-to-do family and was the youngest of
nine children. At the age of four she suffered the
loss of her mother - which affected her deeply. During
the following ten years she grew inseparable from
Pauline, her older sister. When her sister, Pauline
left home to enter the
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Carmelite convent,
Therese fell mysteriously ill. On May 13, 1883 while
praying a nine-day novena before the family's statue of
the Blessed Virgin Mary, Therese fell into a deep ecstasy.
After a vision in which the Virgin smiled at her, little
Therese was cured. Her profound conversion took place on Christmas day 1886.
Reportedly a very shy and secluded girl, her shyness
and seriousness were replaced by uncommon strength and peace to last her life.
With her
conversion at the age of fourteen, she felt ready to enter
the Carmelite order. As the Rule of Carmel allowed only
those twenty-one and older to enter, Therese would need a
special dispensation from the bishop. Throughout her life
as a nun, she lived the faith of Christ in a most
extraordinary way.
She declared "I came to Carmel to save
souls and to pray for priests". Suffering from
tuberculosis for several years, Therese died on
September 30, 1897.
The remains of St.
Therese of Lisieux lie beneath the waxen replica in the
Carmelite Convent Chapel. St. Therese once confided to a
sister that, after her death, she would send down a shower
of roses; and she has kept her promise. It is well known
that when a prayer is answered through her intercession,
one will receive roses. |
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Our Lady of the Miraculous Medal and Our Lady of the Green
Scapular |
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At the Daughters of Charity Convent in
Paris, the Blessed Virgin Mary revealed two of the
greatest treasures of the world.
The first treasure, the
Miraculous Medal, was given to St. Catherine Laboure on
July 18, 1830, and has earned the reputation of converting
the hardest of hearts. In a vision, Mary stood on a globe with her feet crushing
a serpent. In her hands she held a small golden globe. In
a second vision, rays of light came from Mary's hands and
lit up the globe on which she was standing. As a circle in
the shape of a medal formed around the vision, the letters
were written,
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"O Mary, conceived without sin, pray for us
who have recourse to thee."
"Have a medal struck after
this model. All who wear it will receive great graces;
they should wear it around the neck. Graces will abound
for those who wear it with confidence".
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The gift of the Green Scapular
was revealed to the novice Justine Bisqueyburu on January
28, 1840 at the same convent where the revelation of the
Miraculous Medal occurred. Our Lady
appeared to her and requested that the Daughters of
Charity
distribute the Green Scapular.
This scapular would help contribute to the conversion
of souls, especially unbelievers and obtain a happy
death for them.
The scapular bears
a picture of the Blessed Virgin Mary on one side, and
an image of the Immaculate Heart pierced by
a sword with the words of the Green Scapular Prayer
encircling it. Between the two pictures is a piece of
cloth, symbolizing the intercession of the Virgin Mary
before the throne of God. The words printed on the
scapular are "Immaculate Heart of Mary, pray for us now
and at the hour of our death".
An excellent English book
about the Miraculous Medal and the apparitions is called
The Message of Catherine Laboure, A Dynamic Force for
Living! One of the greatest proponents and distributors of
the Miraculous Medal was St. Maximilian Kolbe, an
Auschwitz martyr who died in the place of a fellow Jewish
prisoner. |
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Sacred Heart of Jesus and St. Margaret Mary Alacoque |
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Margaret Mary Alacoque joined the convent
of the Daughters of the Visitation in Paray-le-Monial in June
1671 shortly before her 24th birthday. On Dec. 27, 1673 Christ appeared
for the first time to St. Margaret Mary, for her to spread
the treasures of the Divine Heart of Jesus. The Divine
Heart was then exposed to her, "like a sun, ablaze
with a dazzling light".
Jesus then mourned the world's ingratitude,
indifference, and coldness and asked Margaret Mary for a
communion of reparation on the first Friday of each month.
In 1674 Jesus appeared again to St. Margaret Mary and
in June 1675, the third and most famous apparition
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"Behold this heart which has loved everyone so much
that it has spared nothing, even to exhausting and
consuming itself in order to testify its love."
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Christ asked for the first Friday after the Octave of the
Body and Blood of Christ to be set apart as a feast day in
honor of his Sacred Heart. He also asked for a "solemn act
of reparation" for all the
offenses and indignities he had received in his sacrament
of love, the Holy Eucharist.
Aware that carrying out this mission alone would be
difficult for the cloistered nun, Jesus sent a holy Jesuit
priest to her. The Holy Mother of God solemnly affirmed
St. Claude's role when she told St. Margaret Mary, |
"If it is given to the Daughters of the Visitation to
know and distribute the devotion to my Son's Sacred
Heart, then it is reserved to the fathers of the Society
of Jesus to show and make known its utility and value so
that people may profit from it by receiving it with the
respect and gratitude due to so great a benefit."
Since
the time of St. Margaret Mary's death on October 17, 1690,
the devotion to the Sacred Heart spread worldwide. |
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St. Anne |
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According to tradition,
the parents of the Virgin Mary were childless into
their old age until an angel appeared to St. Anne and
said, "The Lord has looked upon your tears; you shall
conceive and give birth and the fruit of your womb shall
be blessed by all the world." The child of this promise
was the Blessed Virgin Mary.
Early in the seventeenth
century, pilgrimages to the area of French Brittany began after St. Anne
appeared several times to a simple laborer, Yves Nicolazic.
The saint asked him to rebuild the ancient chapel that
once stood in the city.
Apparitions became frequent and
eventually the bishop commissioned a chapel to be built.
Anne of Austria and Louis XIII enriched the sanctuary with
many gifts, among them a relic of St. Anne brought from
Jerusalem in the 13th century.
During
the French Revolution the chapel was ransacked,
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were driven out and the miraculous
statue of St. Anne was burned. Today, the shrine continues
to attract pilgrims from all over; many come for "pardons"
in which pilgrims climb the Scala Santa (Holy Stairs) on
their knees. July 26th is the day of the "great
pardon." |
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St. Vincent de Paul,
Congregation of the Mission |
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Born on April 24, 1581 Vincent de
Paul was ordained a priest in the year 1600. At the time
he had great ambitions to live with all the comforts of a
modern life. During his early years as a priest he worked
as a chaplain for Queen Margaret de Valois and served as a
tutor to the powerful de Gondi family and the income he
received allowed him to live very comfortably.
While
ministering to the de Gondi family, Vincent began
noticing the great inequities between the rich and the
poor. In 1617 Vincent established the first "Confraternity
of Charity" - both the order and the confraternity had
missions of ser | | | |