Part III : The Crown of Goodness : Chapter 7 : § 3.7-9

Chapter 7 : The Sixth Star or Splendour of the Crown of Goodness of the MOTHER OF GOD

She is a true model of generosity towards her children

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)

§ 3. The gratitude of the MOTHER OF GOD to cities especially dedicated to her 

Chartres

 7   The noble city of Chartres is situated in Beauce and vies with all the cities in Christendom for the title of being the first to receive the protection of the MOTHER OF GOD. This city has indeed shown great devotion to her holy Protectress, whilst in exchange receiving such wondrous favours that it would be impossible to describe them in the time and space we have available. One of the most outstanding is what the Virgin did for them in the year 908 (or 911, according to some), whilst Charles the Simple[1] was on the throne in France and Gancelinus (or Gancelmus) was the forty-seventh Bishop of Chartres. 

At that time, a certain Rollo (or Raoul) from a distinguished Bavarian family had become a fierce and proud man. Expelled from his own land, he made his way to France along with a band of thieves and ruffians who joined him at various stages on his journey. He told them that with him they could hope to become great and powerful, promising them everything they could find to loot in Notre-Dame de Chartres, a city they were going to besiege. This happened at a most inopportune moment for the poor residents of Chartres who, in human terms, had no means of defending themselves. In their hour of need, they had recourse to the beloved MOTHER OF GOD, whose Sancta Camisia[2] they treasured as dearly as the ancients did the Palladium[3] and the Ancile[4]. They took the Camisia out of the Treasury and paraded with it along the ramparts of the city. As soon as Rollo’s men saw this being held aloft like a banner, they burst out in laughter and let loose volleys of arrows. Their actions would in truth cost them dearly for they were suddenly struck by a mysterious blindness and found they were unable to attack or to retreat. This made it possible for those who had been besieged in the city to sally forth and fall upon the ranks of their foes. They proceeded to cut them to pieces until they were sated with the sight of blood and carnage. The place where this massacre took place is still known to this day as the Meadow of the Vanquished.

Rollo their captain was able to escape which was fortunate for him because his soul was later touched by God and he became a Christian. He was baptised as Robert, taking the name of Robert the Count of Paris who was his godfather[5]. He married Gisela, sister of King Charles, and was the great-grandfather of Robert who conquered Sicily and Apulia, and who also overcame the Venetians and Alexios, Emperor of Constantinople.

 

Footnotes

[1] Charles le Simple : simple here derives from the Latin simplex and refers to a straightforward, open and candid man of virtue, without the connotation of “simpleton” later associated with the word

[2] Sancta Camisia : Variously referred to as Mary’s mantle, veil, shawl, robe or tunic. 

[3] Palladium: An image of the goddess Pallas (Athene) in the citadel of Troy, whose presence was believed to guarantee the safety of the city. The image was later reputed to have been taken from Troy to Rome.

[4] Ancile: A sacred object in the form of a small figure-of-eight shield, believed to guarantee the safety of the city of Rome.

[5] S. Antoninus, II p. Hist., tit. XVI, c. 19, et c. 2, § 8.

 8    Readers can discover for themselves in the history written of Notre-Dame de Chartres how in the year 1129[1] the Virgin made known a remedy for St Anthony’s fire, also known as Holy Fire, which was ravaging the whole of the Beauce region. They can read too about the special favours she granted to Château-Landon, Bonneval and Saint-Malo following their willingness to help with the restoration of her church in Chartres which had been damaged by fire. 

We must not forget to mention what happened in the same city in the year 1020 when for the third time the noble Church of Notre-Dame was damaged by fire. The citizens of Chartres realised during this terrible conflagration that it was humanly speaking impossible for them to ensure the safety of the Sancta Camisia. Nevertheless, some of the bolder in their number risked their own lives by passing through the flames in order to save the precious relic.They located where the chest was kept and, placing it on their shoulders, they made their way to a vaulted chamber beneath the floor of the Church. Then a miracle occurred, for they had no sooner reached this chamber safely than the bell towers collapsed, the bells and the roof of the church (which were made of lead) melted, the pillars supporting the vaulted ceilings collapsed and everything crashed to the ground with a terrible noise. The fire burned on for several days and nobody could do anything about it. Everyone feared that the people in the underground chamber would have been crushed or burnt to a cinder, or perhaps would be dead through hunger or terror, and that the Sancta Camisia would have been destroyed by the fire. When it finally became possible to clear a path to see what had happened to them, they were all found safe and sound with no injuries. The chest containing the precious relic was also quite undamaged and it seemed that Heaven had taken a most particular care in preserving this precious token which is the great blessing of the city of Chartres. When it comes to describing the public rejoicing and the acts of thanksgiving offered to God and to His holy Mother, I can only say that words fail me.

Footnotes

[1] Lib. IX, miraculo 31.

 9   I cannot pass over in silence what has been noted by several conscientious historians, namely that in the year at 1568, with the favourable help of their Protectress, the valiant people of Chartres repelled the Huguenots who had laid siege to the city. In commemoration of this blessed deliverance, a eulogy was penned in Latin and it was translated into our tongue by Sebastian Rouillard, an historian of Notre-Dame de Chartres:   

Deceptive novelties do everywhere abound

Which faithful Frenchmen’s hearts with error do confound;

Now here, now there we see the poison overflows

Beneath the trait’rous flags of marching Huguenots. 

The city they besiege, its walls they do assail,

But tow’rs and ramparts new make all their efforts fail,

The Virgin Queen hath come to show her love and pity,

To save the faithful souls of her beloved city;

Their loyal Captain bold was Lord de Lignières,

Whose trusty men-at-arms displayed a courage rare.

.👑   👑   👑

The Virgin of Tenderness. >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