Our Lady of Pellevoisin
Europe · France
What happened
Estelle Faguette (1843-1929) was a simple domestic servant from the Berry region, in the diocese of Bourges (Indre department), working for a family in Pellevoisin. In 1875, at just over thirty years old, she fell seriously ill—later reports mention peritoneal tuberculosis—and was given a terminal diagnosis by the doctors. She was the sole provider for her elderly parents and a sick niece. Trusting in her faith until the very end, she wrote a letter to the Virgin Mary, pleading for healing and relying on her mercy; this humble gesture, preserved in the memory of the shrine, is the origin of everything that followed.
The message of the Virgin
The heart of Pellevoisin's message is mercy. The Virgin Mary presented herself as the Mother of all mercy and always directed grace toward Christ: Estelle herself was convinced that she had obtained her healing from her Son, to whom everything is attributed. From this emerged three key themes. First, filial trust in the mercy of God and Mary. Second, devotion to the Sacred Heart through the white scapular that the Virgin Mary showed, a sign of Christ's love. And third, humility and consistency of life, reflected in phrases transmitted by Estelle such as "I choose the little ones and the weak for my glory" and "If you want to serve me, be simple, let your words match your actions." In 2024, the Dicastery for the Doctrine of the Faith summarized that these expressions reveal the action of the Holy Spirit throughout this spiritual experience.
The sanctuary today
The Sanctuary of Notre-Dame de Pellevoisin, dedicated to Our Lady of All Mercy, is a diocesan Marian shrine in the Diocese of Bourges, with established worship, pilgrimages, and regular sacramental life. Due to its regional importance as a place of grace and conversions, it is often called "the Lourdes of Berry." Estelle's room, converted into a chapel in the late 19th century, is preserved, with authorized public worship since 1877. The feast day of Our Lady of Mercy is celebrated on February 13. In 2020, the diocese obtained from the French Episcopal Conference the opening of the process of beatification for Estelle Faguette, a sign that the local Church considers her life an example of Christian virtue.
The Church's recognition
The Church's recognition of Pellevoisin's healing was built in stages. In 1892, Leo XIII granted indulgences to pilgrims. On September 8, 1893, the Archbishop of Bourges officially recognized Estelle's cure as miraculous, with the consent of the Holy Office. In 1900, Leo XIII officially recognized the scapular of the Sacred Heart shown to Estelle, and in 1922 a votive Mass to the Virgin Mary was authorized for September 9. In 1983, the Archbishop of Bourges, Monsignor Paul Vignancour, again officially declared the cure miraculous, following a renewed historical and medical study. Finally, in 2024, the Dicastery for the Doctrine of the Faith, with the approval of Pope Francis, gave its consent for the Archbishop of Bourges to promulgate a decree of nihil obstat on the devotion to Our Lady of Mercy of Pellevoisin: there are no doctrinal or moral objections, and the faithful may prudently give their assent.
A grace that touches the heart
The grace at the heart of Pellevoisin is the healing of Estelle Faguette herself, and what makes it so moving is that it was not a fleeting miracle: the woman, given up for dead in 1875, lived until 1929, more than fifty years of lasting recovery. The Church did not simply acknowledge the fact, but examined it seriously and recognized it twice as miraculous: in 1893 with the consent of the Holy Office, and again in 1983, after a new historical-medical study, as the "great miracle" of Pellevoisin. Few Marian graces have received such repeated and carefully considered recognition from ecclesiastical authority.
Link with the Rosary
Like all authentic Marian devotion, Pellevoisin's leads to entrusting oneself to Mary through simple and persevering prayer. The Mother of All Mercy, who asked for humility and consistency of life, teaches this same humble path in the Rosary: meditating with her on the mysteries of Christ and prolonging the filial trust that healed Estelle Faguette.