Chapter 12 : The Eleventh Star or Splendour of the Crown of Excellence of the Mother of God
Continuing our translation of the 1845 reprint of Fr François Poiré's Triple Crown of the Mother of God (1643 French edition).
 |
| Notre Dame des Grâces, Cotignac.(Poggi, 2020) |
She has been and is still recognized and called blessed by all generations in the world
§ 5. She was recognized and honoured by all Nations everywhere in the world
France
OUR LADY OF MONTDEVERGUES, OUR LADY LA BRUNE OR OF NAZARETH
40 [continued] About half a league distant from Avignon is the Church called Our Lady of Montdevergues[1]. Its Chapel was in ruins until recently restored by the local lord whose warm devotion to the Holy Virgin was soon rewarded by the blessing she gave to the whole region. The chapel of Our Lady of Nazareth, otherwise known as Our Lady la Brune because her image is olive brown in colour, is located in Barroux which is in the diocese of Vaison. It is venerated not only by reason of the site’s antiquity but also because of the great miracles that have been occurring here on a daily basis and also because of the remarkable victory over the Iconoclasts in our own day. At the beginning of the troubles in the County of Venaissain, the heretics seized the villages along with the town and the château of Barroux. They then lit a great bonfire where they tossed all the papers and legal documents of the Church and the Chapel, along with wooden statues and any other images they could find. They had the satisfaction (which would later cost them most dearly) of seeing all the images of the Saints reduced to ash – with the exception of Our Lady’s statue which the flames were unable to destroy despite the best efforts of the sacrilegious vandals, although it did suffer one or two cracks. Once these troubles were over, the statue was put back in place and Our Lady received great veneration by crowds of the faithful coming from all parts. There have been frequent miracles thanks to the intercession of the Mother of Mercy, especially towards those, for instance, suffering from the “falling evil” or epilepsy, from heart problems, from dizziness, from “goulette” (which is a violent fluxion causing suffocation in babies), and such like illnesses. The normal practice for those seeking help from the Virgin was to offer up their prayers in the Chapel on the five principal feasts of the Virgin. It would often happen that as soon as they entered Barroux, or even while they were praying in the Chapel, they would experience a violent episode in their illness for the last time before being delivered completely from their condition from that point on. It was also common for still-born infants to regain life or, at the least, to show sufficient signs of life to receive along with Baptism their inheritance as children of God.
Footnotes
[1] The French text has Montdevergnes but this would seem to be a misprint for Montdevergues, which derives from mons virginum, the "hill of virgins," referring to a convent once located on the summit.
OUR LADY OF THE PLAIN, OUR LADY OF THE ISLE, OUR LADY DE MONTAIGU & OUR LADY OF BOURG-DIEU
41 In Dauphiné mention may be made of the Churches in Embrun, Grenoble, Die and others which are all filled with the holy Spirit; but a great many people visit a Church called Our Lady of the Plain which is in the middle of a beautiful stretch of fertile countryside and is cared for by Sisters of the Benedictine order. Just under a league away from Vienne we come to the Church called Our Lady of the Isle where devotion has started to grow again recently as the Religious of the Society of Jesus who are now in residence have begun to introduce improvements. Crossing the Rhône and entering Vivarais, we come to Tournon where we may note the devotion apparent in the Church of the College of the same Society, in the Chapel of Our Lady of Montaigu. Crowds flock here from all parts and their fervent prayers are an unmistakeable sign of the the favours granted there. In Forez not far from Saint-Germain-Laval, there is a beautiful Church of Our Lady which is located in the middle of a large field. It is frequently thronged by people coming from all over, either in processions or as individuals, praying for rain or good weather depending on what their land needs according to the season of the year.
In Berry near Bourges on the river Indre, we find the ancient Abbey of Our Lady of Bourg-Dieu, mother house for forty-three Priories and which is at present a Collegiate Church. It was founded long ago in honour of the most glorious Virgin by Elbon, lord of Berry and son of Lambert, who was one of those with Charlemagne's army at Roncevaux. It was subsequently re-established around 1095 and dedicated by Urban II. The miracles reported here have been so numerous that the Church of Bourges nowadays commemorates them every year on the last day of May. The following example is well worth recounting. It happened around the year 1202 and was recorded in writing by a credible eye-witness[1].
A woman was prostrate before the stone statue of the Holy Virgin and was offering fervent prayers to the Queen of heaven when two men arrived, full of fury and profanity. They not only mocked the woman but also uttered blasphemies against the Blessed Virgin and their verbal assaults went further for they threw a large stone against the statue and it broke the arm of the infant Jesus. Those who were witnesses to this outrage saw blood coming from the wound whereupon the wicked man who had done this dropped down dead on the spot. His companion in crime wanted to remove the body but was seized by the evil spirit therein and the very next day he too was called before God to render an account for his misdeeds. In the meantime, the news of this miracle had spread far and wide and the Church was soon packed with people of all conditions, coming from all parts to see what had happened. Then, in the presence of this great multitude of people, something happened even more miraculous than what I have described thus far. They saw Our Lady’s statue break with her own hands the necklace she was wearing and then she rent her garment and exposed her breast in token of just how much she hated the wicked sacrilege of the man who had made so bold as to attack her beloved Son. It is impossible to overstate how much this served to renew and increase the devotion of all the people in that locality where the MOTHER OF GOD produced signs so evident of her presence and her maternal affection for all her children.
Footnotes
[1] Auctor speculi historiarum.
OUR LADY OF FOURVIÈRE, OUR LADY OF L’ÎLE-BARBE, OUR LADY OF VALFLEURY, ETC.
In the great and prosperous city of Lyon, we discover the ancient Church called Our Lady of Fourvière. It is located on the highest point and is like a fortress for this city where devotion has been on the increase in recent years. There are numerous other Churches here dedicated to the glorious Virgin and particular mention must be made of the Church of the College of the Trinity (belonging to the Society of Jesus) where there is a wonderful little Chapel where the people of Lyon offer their prayers to Our Lady of Montaigu and very frequently experience favourable help from the Empress of Heaven.
About a quarter of a league from Lyon is the ancient Abbey called Our Lady of l’île-Barbe which was founded by the Emperor Charlemagne and benefited greatly from the masses of people of the locality who went there to show their devotion.
Seven leagues from Lyon is the famous place of pilgrimage known as Our Lady of Valfleury. This name was chosen[1] because the statue of the Virgin now on the Chapel’s high altar was found by shepherds at this location, hidden among broom plants which were in flower even though it was nearly Christmas. When visiting this holy Chapel, I heard a wonderful story which bears repeating.
Some years ago, a man who had not the power of speech came to offer his devout prayers silently to Our Lady of Valfleury. He was miraculously cured after his novena of prayers and received the power to speak and to express himself. The miracle did not stop there for he had made a vow that if he received the power of speech he would return every year at the same time to pay his homage to the Holy Virgin in her Chapel at Valfleury, and that if should fail to do so he would immediately be struck dumb again and not recover his speech until he kept his promise. This indeed happened on several occasions because of various accidents which meant he was unable to come. In the whole of the country around Valfleury there is no-one who does not know what I have just recounted to you.
Seven leagues from Lyon in the direction of the Auvergne, you have the Montromant pilgrimage. Eight leagues from the same city is Our Lady of Pity. Nine leagues from Saint-Clermont is Our Lady of Cézelle. Close to Bourg-en-Bresse, the provincial capital, is the magnificent Church called Our Lady of Brou, begun by Marguerite of Bourbon and completed by Marguerite of Austria, both of whom were duchesses of Savoy. Just under a league from Belleville may be found the ancient Church and château of Our Lady of Montmerle, presently cared for by Minim Fathers.
Footnotes
[1] Valfleury = val fleuri: i.e., a small valley with flowers.
👑 👑 👑
SUB tuum præsidium confugimus, Sancta Dei Genitrix. Nostras deprecationes ne despicias in necessitatibus, sed a periculis cunctis libera nos semper, Virgo gloriosa et benedicta. Amen.
The Vladimirskaya Icon. >12th century.
Totus tuus ego sum
Et omnia mea tua sunt;
Tecum semper tutus sum:
Ad Jesum per Mariam.
© Peter Bloor 2024
No comments:
Post a Comment