Basilica of Our Lady of Pontmain
In the village of Pontmain, in the French Mayenne, a great neo-Gothic basilica of granite preserves the memory of the apparition of the Virgin of January 17, 1871, recognized by the Bishop of Laval on February 2, 1872. Since 1872, entrusted to the Missionary Oblates of Mary Immaculate, the sanctuary has since welcomed the pilgrims who come to what French piety calls Our Lady of Hope.
🌹 Wonders and anecdotes
- The Bishop of Laval, Monsignor Casimir Wicart, placed the first stone of the temple on 17 June 1873; the works were extended for decades and the church was consecrated on 15 October 1900 by Bishop Pierre Geay.
- On February 21, 1905, Pope Saint Pius X raised the temple to the rank of basilica, sealing the pontifical recognition of this sanctuary born from the apparition of 1871.
- Built entirely in granite in a neo-Gothic style, its two arrows are more than ten kilometres away; in the interior, the white limestone columns and the large glass windows flood the temple with light, with verrières that evoke the Marian apparitions of France - La Salette, Lourdes and Pontmain itself - made by successive glass teachers from 1874 to 1978.
- Next to the basilica, the pilgrims visit the Barbedette farm, before which the seers and the neighbors saw the Virgin that night of January, and the parish church of the people; the pilgrimages end every 17 January and 15 August.
Our Lady of Pontmain
The Basilica of Pontmain rises where the Virgin appeared in the ice-cold sky of January 1871, while the war was afflicting France, with that message of comfort: "Pray, my children; God will listen to you in a short time." Its granite towers continue to announce to the pilgrims the hope that it does not disappoint.
"Our Lady of Pontmain, hope of those who suffer, pray for us.
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