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).
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| 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
OUR LADY OF BOURBOURG, OUR LADY OF THE TRELLIS, OUR LADY OF WETZ, OUR LADY OF VASIER, OUR LADY OF CONSOLATION, OUR LADY OF THE ARDENTS, OUR LADY OF CONSOLATION, OUR LADY OF LA BARRIÈRE, OUR LADY OF FINES, OUR LADY OF GRACES, OUR LADY OF FOURDES, OUR LADY OF UNSELLE, OUR LADY OF MESSINE, OUR LADY OF SMELCEM
63 In the province of Flanders we now come to a parish Church called Our Lady of Bourbourg.
This image was already famous because of the miracles reported here and the great devotion of the people but the fame increased when a certain Breton struck the side of the statue with his sword. This caused blood to pour from the wound and the man who had committed this sacrilegious act fell down dead on the spot. This took place in the year 1383, as recorded by the annalist Bzovius who took this from the Church Archives.
The noble city of Douay is not lacking in places dedicated to the glorious Virgin or signs of her favour. Next to the Church of St Peter is a fine chapel called Our Lady of the Trellis. There was already an image of the Holy Virgin here before it was built.
In the year 1532, some children were playing near the statue and they were being disrespectful when they were forced to stop when they saw that the statue was moving the infant Jesus from one arm to the other and was threatening them with her hand. This frightened them so much that they ran as fast as they could to tell their parents what had happened. Soon the chapel was packed with people and of all those who had hurried to see the miracle, there was not one who was in any doubt that the Holy Virgin was showing them that they needed to honour and serve her with greater devotion. It would be no easy matter to say how many were healed there and how many were the different sicknesses. In short, the blessings bestowed by the Holy Virgin on countless persons were so great and so frequent that the alms and gifts people offered in thanks for the graces received were enough to finance the building of a fine chapel.
In the street called Wetz there is another chapel associated with several miracles. In the Church of the Franciscan Cordeliers you can still see the picture of the Conception which was left undamaged by a fire in 1553 which reduced to ashes everything else around the Altar. In the vicinity of the same city you will see crowds of people at the Church called Our Lady of Vasier, especially villagers whose cattle have been cured by drinking water drawn from a well in the Church’s cemetery. Adjoining the leper house there is a small chapel which they call Our Lady of Consolation or Our Lady of Fevers because of the relief people obtain in their afflictions, especially those who have a fever.
In Lille there is a Church dedicated to St Peter where you will be shown the chapel of Our Lady of the Trellis. The name derives from the iron trellis in front of the statue which has been famous for over thee hundred years because of the miracles associated with Our Lady and the great devotion of the people who come from all parts, especially on Saturdays[1]. In the middle of the main square, opposite the town hall, there is a chapel of the Holy Virgin where they keep a candle formed from the wax that meted from the great candle in Arras, which I mentioned earlier. They collect the wax which melts when the candle is lit[2] and put it in water which itself then has great powers not only for driving away fevers but also for healing all sorts of inflammation of the human body.
64 In the outskirts of the city next to the new gate, there is a chapel visited by crowds of devout faithful and it is known as Our Lady du Haut because of its location or also as Our Lady of Consolation because of the help and relief obtained by those having recourse to the glorious Virgin. It was built[3] following the miraculous deliverance of Lord Haucron whom the Holy Virgin preserved from a shipwreck when he prayed for her help. Half a league from the city we come to the chapel called Our Lady of Esquermes, celebrated for its miracles for over four hundred years. Another half a league away on the other side[4] we find Marian devotion in the chapel called Our Lady of La Barrière, which takes its name from its location near the gate of the Abbey of Marquette. Another half a league and we come across Our Lady of Fines where several miracles have been reported over many years[5]. One league from the city is Our Lady of Graces which is now visited more frequently since a citizen of Lille called Jean Dubois was miraculously cured of apoplexy in 1581.
Two leagues away from the city on the Bethune side is Our Lady of Fournes which is visited by a great many people suffering from illnesses such as sciatica, problems with nerves and similar conditions. This has been the case since a crippled woman who took two whole days and a night to travel one league to the Church, was completely cured and returned healthy and happy, leaving her crutches in the chapel, where many others can be seen. Two leagues on the eastern side is the Parish Church called Our Lady of Linselle where people go mainly to pray for rain during periods of prolonged drought. Three leagues away is Our Lady of Messine, no less famous than the ones already mentioned, whether for the cures that take place there or the crowds of faithful who come to the Church. We must not forget to mention Our Lady of Smelcem which was built and founded by Baudouin, nicknamed Fair Beard, after he was healed by the Holy Virgin of a flux of blood. There was a miraculous image of the Holy Virgin in the place where he was cured and where he built this Church Shepherds often noted that, amongst other miracles, when their sheep came near they would get down on their knees.
Footnotes
[1] Bucelinus, in Annalibus Gallo Flandriæ, lib. II.
[2] Bucelinus, loc. cit.
[3] Bucelinus,ibid.
[4] Bucelinus,ibid.
[5] Bucelinus,ibid.
OUR LADY OF MONTAIGU, OUR LADY OF OEGNIÈS, OUR LADY OF AFFLEGHEM, OUR LADY OF LOUVAIN & OUR LADY OF LAKEN
65 Let us proceed now to the Duchy of Brabant. Who has not heard tell of Our Lady of Montaigu, also known as Our Lady of Zichem because of the proximity of the small but ancient town of this name, two leagues from Louvain, three from Malines, four from Anvers and as many from Brussels?
On a hill called Montaigu which is in the middle of a fine plain, there was an old oak tree which held a precious treasure : a small statue of Our Lady. A shepherd noticed it and decided he would take it home and make a little oratory for it; but the strange thing was that no sooner had he formed this intention in his mind than he found himself fixed to the spot, just as though he was rooted there, and he could not move a single step forward. Eventually the Sun set and the shepherd’s Master, who had heard no news of either him or his sheep, was waiting for him impatiently. Seeing that it was getting late and there was no sign of him, he thought there must have been an accident. That made him determined to find out what was going on and what had happened to him. Never was anyone more surprised than this poor shepherd was when seeing his Master and feeling that he had been caught out. He could no longer hide what had happened to him and he candidly confessed his wrong. Taking the statue out he immediately begged his Master to put it back in the tree where he had found it. The Master had no sooner done so than the shepherd was able to walk again without any difficulty, just as though someone had untied him. The news of this spread very quickly everywhere and from then on crowds came to see the statue.
It is true that in the year 1580, the statue was removed and no-one knows by whom or how, but people came to the place as before. Six years after the loss, a venerable old man substituted another in is place. This was kept there until 1602 and was then placed in a little wooden chapel before being installed in a place of honour in a beautiful Church built for the purpose by the Archbishop of Malines. The miracles that occurred there and which continue to this day are countless. I believe there are few places in Christendom with miraculous statues made from oak which predate this one. If I were to carry out the necessary research, it would require an entire history to itself. The learned writer Lipse, well-known for the books he has produced, has compiled what he found to be the most reliable details.
One league distant from Nivelle, which is also in the Brabant region, you can see Our Lady of Oignies, from whom the blessed Marie of Oignies took her name, not only because it was her place of birth but by reason of the great devotion she felt for the place which she visited once a year, making the journey barefoot and where Our Lord and His Holy Mother granter her countless blessings, as I shall explain more fully in Part III of this work[1]. In the Affligem Monastery they still show to this day an image of the glorious Virgin and pass on the traditional account of St Bernard’s greeting, when he said: May God keep thee safe, Mary. She replied to him in a clear and audible manner: May God keep thee safe, Bernard. In Louvain there is a chapel in the Church of St Peter with an image of Our Lady which in the year 1444 on the 25th of September began to be associated with miracles and these have continued ever since. Near Brussels, you will find Our Lady of Laken which is a Church built on the express command of the Blessed Virgin[2]. She indicated all the measurements with a rope which they still show visitors. The Church was consecrated by Our Lord and has seen several miracles.
Footnotes
[1] Chap. 4, § 4.
[2] Vide Auctarium ad Molanum.
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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
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