Our Lady of the Whole World of Yamoussoukro (Ivory Coast)

Marian devotion

Where is he?

Our Lady of the Whole World is a wooden image that is preserved in the basilica of Our Lady of Peace of Yamoussoukro, in Ivory Coast. It is not an independent apparition or a different sanctuary: the image is part of the devotional and artistic history of that basilica. The temple is in Yamoussoukro, the political capital of the country, and the Archdiocese of Abiyan presents it as a minor basilica, Marian sanctuary, and place of worship and pilgrimage.

The point of the map corresponds to the basilica building located by OpenStreetMap (way 89584501). Precision is used verified_building because the mapping identifies the building, not an inner position of the sculpture. The tab of the existing basilica on rezaelrosario.org is kept without duplication; this page refers only to the image called Our Lady of the Whole World.

Documented history

The official page of the statues of the basilica explains that the image was baptized by its own author as "Notre Dame-de-tout-le-monde" and is also popularly known as "the prisoner's statue." The sculptor was Soro Kolo, a Muslim faithful who was imprisoned in the Bouaké prison camp, a city in the centre of Côte d'Ivoire. The same source in the basilica states that he worked with two prison partners and within a program of assistance in the prison environment of ATD Quart Monde.

The sculpture was made in teak wood and was offered to the basilica on 2 February 1992. The official history of the place adds that, when meeting him, President Félix Houphouët-Boigny was so impressed that he ordered the release of Soro Kolo by a presidential grace. This data is published as part of the history communicated by the basilica itself; it is not transformed into a hagiographical statement on the sculptor or a miracle.

The image is integrated into a temple whose first stone was placed on February 2, 1986. The construction was completed in 1989 and the solemn dedication was held on September 10, 1990, when St. John Paul II consecrated the basilica and was granted the title of a minor basilica. These data belong to the context of the place that hosts the image, not to the date of creation of the sculpture.

Tradition

The title "of the whole world" expresses, in the history transmitted by the basilica, the vocation of an image that reaches a space shared by people of different cultures and religions. The image represents the Virgin Mary with the Child and is venerated within a Catholic temple dedicated to Our Lady of Peace. Mary's veneration asks for her intercession before God; it is not worship, for worship corresponds only to God.

The name and account of the sculptor belong to the documented history of the piece. The reaction of the face according to the distance from which it is seen - close sadness and smile as it moves away - is an artistic feature described by the official page, not a supernatural sign.

Legend

There is no ecclesial record that presents this image as an apparition, nor a miracle linked to it. The stories about their changing expression, about the emotion that produced their delivery, or about the meaning of bringing together different people must be kept in place: they are observations, memory and tradition of the object, not an approval of supernatural phenomena.

Ecclesial State

The state indicated is permitted veneration in the sense of a Marian image preserved and presented within a Catholic basilica and Marian sanctuary recognized as a place of worship. The verified sources do not contain a pronunciation that declares a supernatural apparition related to this image, and none is stated.

Anecdotes and stories

The prison origin of the sculpture makes its history linked to the possibility of creating and offering beauty even in a context of deprivation of liberty. The Basilica page also recalls the collaboration between prisoners and a programme of prison assistance. The Muslim origin of the sculptor is expressly preserved because it is part of the documented account of the piece; it is not used to attribute a religious intention that the sources do not indicate.

Prayer

Holy Mary, Mother of Jesus and Our Lady of the whole world, intercedes before God for those who seek peace, for the families of Côte d'Ivoire and for all the peoples who wish to live in reconciliation. Teach us to receive each person with respect and to walk towards Christ with truth. Amen.

Sources

• Basilica Notre-Dame de la Paix, "The statues" (fuente institucional consultada; HTTP 200).
• Diocèse d'Abidjan, "Basilique" (minor basilica and Marian sanctuary; HTTP 200).
• Holy See, homily of the dedication of the Basilica, September 10, 1990 (HTTP 200).
• OpenStreetMap way 89584501, basilica building (HTTP 200).