The Crown of Excellence : Chapter 12 : § 5.53-54

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 LAON & OUR LADY OF LIESSE (JOY)

 53  [continued] The same author took great pains to give posterity an understanding of the miracles worked by God in the Church called Our Lady of Laon, where he served as a Canon. These continued even to the construction of the holy chapel and later the beautiful Church called Our Lady of Joy.   Its origin was marked by miracles and these have continued. The history has been written by a nobleman called Boissat. Here is a summary.

Around 1134, shortly after the establishment of the order, the Ascalonites attacked the Knights Hospitallers in an ambush they had prepared. Among the captured were three Knights who were brothers from near Laon in Picardy. The eldest was lord of Arpe and the second was lord of Marchois, lands still known today by the same names. The third brother had no lands of his own. They eventually recovered from the numerous wounds they had received whilst defending themselves against the attack and found that they were prized by the enemy not only for their wealth but also for their noble birth. They were taken to Cairo to be presented to the Sultan who at first treated them very harshly but then the idea came to him to convert them into followers of Mahomet.  To this end, he placed them in cells on bread and water only, sending Imams and Morabites to tempt and persuade them to convert. As a last resort, he sent his daughter Ismeria who was a beautiful young lady, reared and well-instructed in the Mahometan religion. After several disputations, she was altogether taken by the sober arguments and the constancy of these Knights. She was particularly moved by what they told her about Our Lady, Mother of Our Lord Jesus Christ, and by the way they sang her praises. She asked if she could see an image of this Lady and the eldest of the brothers, replied without thinking (perhaps we may assume he was led by the Spirit of God) and he promised to make an image for her. Neither he nor his brothers, however, were able to do this satisfactorily and so they had recourse in prayer to God and to the glorious Virgin. The following night the Knight found by his side a statue of the MOTHER OF GOD and this is believed to be the same one that may be seen today in the Church of Our Lady of Liesse, The statue gave off a sweet fragrance and illuminated the whole prison where they were.

It also seemed as if they could hear melodies and harmonies which could only be the music of Angels. This so enraptured their hearts that they spent the whole night in a spirit of sweet consolation. The following day, Ismeria returned to the prison and discovered all these miracles. She experienced such a change of heart that instead of trying to win over the Knights, she herself was won over by Our Lord. She carried the statue away to her own chamber and honoured Our Lady in a thousand different ways. As a result, she was immediately suffused with so much joy that she felt unable to leave the statue. That night, Our Lady appeared to her and told her she was to deliver the Knights from prison and that she would be honoured in her name. The next morning, her mind was quite made up and with great joy and inner peace she gathered together her things, including jewels and some money, before setting off for the prison which she found miraculously unlocked. She summoned the Knights and told them of her plan. They all set off together from there and crossed Cairo  unnoticed before coming to a branch of the river Nile where a young man promptly showed them on board a small boat and then immediately disappeared from sight. They had been travelling for three hours after nightfall and Ismeria, who was herself feeling weary, invited the Knights to get some rest. While all four of them were sleeping, they were miraculously transported to a spot close by the paternal house of the Knights. They were recognized and they walked smartly to their château. Ismeria hurried after them but in her haste she left the statue of the Virgin near a spring. The waters flowed over the statue and later these waters were to have power to heal those sick with fevers and other illnesses.

When the Knights reached the  château, the joy of their parents at their return was indescribable, especially when they learned about what had happened in the house of Ismeria and the favours they had received from her. When formalities had been completed, the Princess was presented to the bishop of Laon and he baptized her, giving her the name Mary. She made her home in the house with the mother of the Knights, a most virtuous and honourable lady, and spent the remainder of her days there in chastity and filled with deep devotion. The Knights built a Church at the spot where, through miraculous intervention, the statue had fallen from the hands of Ismeria when she was carrying it. The statue was solemnly carried in procession to the new Church. Since that day, countless miracles have been reported and the crowds flock from all over Europe to honour the holy Virgin. The sheer joy experienced by so many of the visitors has led to the Church being called Our Lady of Liesse, because liesse means joy.

OUR LADY OF THE HAWTHORN, OUR LADY OF RHEIMS, OUR LADY OF AVENAY & OUR LADY OF MERCHINEY

 54   In the province of Champagne we discover a beautiful Church one league distant from  Châlons-sur-Marne which is called Our Lady of the Hawthorn. It was given this name because the miraculous image preserved inside was first seen in a hawthorn and was honoured there for some time before a sanctuary was constructed.

In Rheims, we see the magnificent Cathedral of Our Lady, as celebrated for the miracles reported there as for its grandeur and beauty. The learned Author who wrote the history of Rheims was inquisitive about its origin and development.

The first building was completed by St Nicasius, Archbishop of Rheims, and it adjoined the  château or palace from which King Clovis made his exit on his way to be baptized by St Remigius. St Nicasius was accustomed to offer his prayers to the Holy Virgin in the Church he had built for her. When the Vandals seized the city of Rheims and proceeded to behead many of the inhabitants, he made his way straight to the doors of the Church along with his dear sister, the blessed St Eutropia, who was a virgin dedicated to God and graced with all the virtues. If he were to surrender his life, then he wanted to be sure he did so in the bosom of the glorious Virgin. The were both singing the divine praises when the Barbarians finally arrived. When they beheaded him, he was at that moment saying these words from Psalm CXVIII : Adhaesit pavimento anima mea[1]; as his head fell to the ground, he completed the verse and he was heard to to say quite clearly : vivifica me secundum verbum tuum[2]. St Eutropia’s beauty was such that it seemed it would deprive of the martyr’s palm but her courage was so great that the Barbarians found it too much too bear and they sent her to join her brother St Nicasius in death, just as she had always been united with him in life though her tender affection. 

From that time onwards, God multiplied the miracles at this location and this caused the great Hincmar, who was later Archbishop of Rheims, to increase the size of the Church by more than half. He also enriched and embellished it so that it is comparable with the most beautiful and magnificent of the Churches in France.

Before leaving this beautiful Church famed for its devotion, I need to share with you something well worth knowing that I noticed there once before. Outside the choir of the Church, there is a fairly ancient tablet with gothic lettering, attached with metal brackets to one of the columns. There we read that:

there was a certain person from Rome who had a fervent devotion to the Holy Virgin and used to recite several beautiful prayers to her every day, including the Ave Maria. One day whilst he was praying, Our Lady appeared to him and, amongst other things, she told him that his prayers were pleasing but that she would really like him to say a prayer acknowledging her mother St Anne. The man replied that he did not know any prayers to say to her.

“When thou dost recite the Ave Maria,” replied the Holy Virgin, “which thou art to do frequently because of the pleasure I take from this prayer, after the words Et benedictus fructus ventris tui Jesus[3], thou shouldst say : Et benedicta sit Sancta Anna mater tua, ex qua sine macula caro tua processit virginea[4]. Then do thou continue unto the end.” 

On the same tablet is also written the following, devout prayer which you will find very satisfying to learn: O Virgo Virginum, o Virgo regia ; sola spes hominum, sola fiducia, nostrorum criminum expugna vitia, et Patri hominum nos reconcilia. Amen[5].

The Church of Our Lady of Avenay, which is a famous Monastery housing Benedictine sisters located between Rheims and Châlons, has been known from ancient times for various miracles the Holy Virgin has performed. In Bassigny, they talk of Our Lady of Prêle near  Saint-Gengoux and of Our Lady of Merchiney which is one league from Chaumont.

Footnotes

[1] My soul hath cleaved to the pavement. Ps. CXVIII. 25.

[2] quicken thou me according to thy word. Ibid.

[3] And blessed is the fruit of thy womb, Jesus.

[4] And blessed is St Anne thy mother, from whom thou didst take virginal flesh without sin.

[5] O Virgin of Virgins, O royal Virgin; only hope of men and our only confidence; destroy the vices of our sins and reconcile us unto the Father of men. Amen

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The Vladimirskaya Icon. >12th century.

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.

 

 

Totus tuus ego sum

Et omnia mea tua sunt;

Tecum semper tutus sum:

Ad Jesum per Mariam. 

© Peter Bloor 2024