November 13

Our Lady of Nanteuil, France

Dedication of the Abbey of Bec, 1st Century

Abbey of Bec

Shrine of Our Lady of Nanteuil

This shrine is one of the oldest in France. The first chapel was built around an oak tree in which a statue of Our Lady had been found. A parish church, later built nearby, shows late 12th century architecture, but the original shrine was already very old at that time.

The religious upheavals in 16th - century France left Our Lady of Nanteuil undisturbed, but before the French Revolution, a change came over the statue. The smiling face became sad, and many pilgrims testified to seeing tears on the cheeks. The Revolution indeed brought sorrow to the shrine. One of the pilgrims threw a rope around the neck of the statue and pulled it to the ground, breaking all but the head. A woman who carelessly tossed the head aside and looked for better loot was punished by almost instant death. Another woman took up the mutilated head and hid it until the destruction was over and a new body could be made to go with it.

One of the many miracles recorded of Our Lady of Nanteuil is the cure of a little boy who was completely crippled. His mother carried him on her back for three pilgrimages, and the third time he returned home entirely cured. The shrine was famous for cures of sick children.

This shrine had a privileged altar, highly indulgenced. It was a favorite of the Venerable Olier and of that saintly vagabond Benedict Joseph Labre.

Sister Manetta Lamberty, S.C.C.
The Woman in Orbit, 1966

Ave Maria!