Our Lady of Banneux

Marian title of Bannux (Liège)

Las apariciones de Our Lady of Banneux, also called Virgin of the Poorthey are part of the documented history of the Church in Belgium and have been officially recognized by the diocese of Liège. Between 15 January and 2 March 1933the girl child Mariette Beco11 years old, he claimed to have seen on eight occasions a "lady in white" in the small house of Bannux, about 25 km from Liège, in the Ardenas region. In these meetings, the apparition was presented as "the Virgin of the Poor," asked for the construction of a chapel, pointed out a source of water and communicated a message of comfort and faith, linked to the relief of suffering and the invitation to prayer.

Main data

Origin and history

Las apariciones de Our Lady of Banneux, also called Virgin of the Poorthey are part of the documented history of the Church in Belgium and have been officially recognized by the diocese of Liège. Between 15 January and 2 March 1933the girl child Mariette Beco11 years old, he claimed to have seen on eight occasions a "lady in white" in the small house of Bannux, about 25 km from Liège, in the Ardenas region. In these meetings, the apparition was presented as "the Virgin of the Poor," asked for the construction of a chapel, pointed out a source of water and communicated a message of comfort and faith, linked to the relief of suffering and the invitation to prayer.

From the beginning there was ecclesial research: a diocesan process was opened between 1935 and 1937, with an episcopal commission whose work was referred to the Holy See. In May 1942, the bishop Louis-Joseph Kerkhofsfrom Liège, announced approval of the apparitions. The Holy See subsequently granted preliminary approval at 1947 and the final approval was published in 1949, year from which devotion was officially recognized. Since then, the place has become International shrine and Marian pilgrimage point.

In terms of tradition and devotional elements, the memory of witnesses and pilgrims has been particularly emphasizing the phrase attributed to the Virgin: «I come to aliviar el sufrimiento»together with the promise of the source "for all nations" and for the sick. These contents come from the accounts of the seer and the subsequent catechesis, and have been integrated into the spirituality of Bannux as a call to trust, prayer and solidarity with the poor and those who suffer; it is a pious tradition based on testimonies, not dogmatic definitions.

The image and the sanctuary

La iconografía de Our Lady of Banneux is inspired by Mariette Beco's description: a woman dressed in whitewith blue twine and praying and welcoming attitude. In the sanctuary a statue of the Virgin of the Poor located on the source indicated in the apparitions, about 100 meters from the place of first vision. The image represents Mary standing, slightly inclined towards the pilgrims, an expression of closeness to the poor and sick. Various reproductions of this statue are spread in chapels and parishes of many countries.

The main place of worship is the Santuario de Nuestra Señora de Banneux (Our Lady of Banneux o Our Lady of the Poor), recognized as Marian international sanctuary. In the garden of the Beco family, where the first apparition took place, a small chapel which remains the center of prayer for pilgrims. After World War II, the sanctuary was extended with a larger church, often called basilica in devotional literature, although the sources consulted do not specify with certainty the canon title of minor basilicaand therefore this name is not documented. The whole of the sanctuary includes the chapel of the apparitions, the explanade for international celebrations, the fountain with the statue of the Virgin, reception spaces for the sick and various chapels and buildings at the service of the pilgrimages.

Sponsorship and coronation

The devotion to Our Lady of Bannux has a marked character Internationalbut is particularly linked to the diócesis de Lieja and the region of the Belgian Ardenas. Various communities and centres of veneration in the world invoke it as "Virgin of the Poor" and spiritual patron of the sick and suffering, although there is no legal universal formal canonical patronage beyond their local and diocesan arraigo. There is no official proclamation of patronage over a particular city or nation beyond its strong implementation in the Belgian sphere.

On the canonical coronationthe sources consulted do not provide a clear and verifiable information on the date, pontiff or delegate who made it. The historical documents and devotional synthesis focus on the approval of the apparitions (1942-1949)but they do not explicitly mention a canonical coronation recognized by a pontifical decree. Therefore, in accordance with the above criteria of historical rigour, does not contain a documented canonical coronation.

Party and devotion

La main party of Our Lady of Bannux is celebrated the 15 Januaryin memory of the first apparition of 1933. Since 1949 this date has been set in the local devotional calendar and is the culmination of the year in the sanctuary, with Eucharistic celebrations, processions and a multilingual Marian evening. During the days near the party, many faithful pray a Ninth to the Virgin of the Poor, stressing the requests for intercession for the sick, the nations and the most needy.

El santuario de Banneux He receives pilgrims from many countries; the figures offered by some sources speak of an important and constant flow, mainly motivated by the fame of the source associated with spiritual and physical healing. Various healings have been reported, the assessment of which corresponds to the competent ecclesial authority; popular devotion sees in them a sign of Mary's care for the sick and afflicted. The characteristics of this place are the processions with patientsthe blessings with the water of the source, the international masses in various languages and the simple environment, focused on prayer, penance and trust in the mercy of God through the Virgin.

Link to the Rosary

The messages associated with Our Lady of Bannux explicitly include the invitation to Χresar muchoņrepeated in several of the apparitions according to the accounts collected. Although the sources consulted do not indicate a express order to pray the Rosary comparable to other Marian shrines, the usual practice of pilgrims in Bannux integrates the prayer of the Rosary as one of the main forms of prayer, especially in Marian processions and evenings. The emphasis on faith, conversion, prayer for the sick and the comfort of the poor is naturally aligned with the spirituality of the Rosary.

Even without a specific prescription, the Rosary It appears as a privileged way to accompany this devotion: by contemplating the mysteries of Christ with Mary, the faithful can unite their own poverty and suffering with that of so many sick and needy for those who pray in Bannux. In this sense, the Rosary becomes a school of filial trust, of intercession for those who suffer and of openness to the will of God, in full harmony with the message of the Virgin of the Poorwho "comes to alleviate suffering" and always leads to Jesus, a source of grace and hope.