Our Lady of the Guard of Perloz

Marian dedication of Perloz (Aosta Valley)

El shrine of Notre-Dame-de-la-Garde (Nostra Signora della Guardia) is located in the municipality of Perloz, in the Valley of Aosta (Italy), and is considered the main place of Marian devotion of the lower Valley of Aosta. There is no, in verifiable sources, a homonymous Marian advocation located in a "department of Valle de Aosta" in Colombia; all indicates that this is a geographical confusion, and that the advocation is linked to Perloz (Valle de Aosta, Italy), not Colombia.

Main data

Origin and history

El shrine of Notre-Dame-de-la-Garde (Nostra Signora della Guardia) is located in the municipality of Perloz, in the Valley of Aosta (Italy), and is considered the main place of Marian devotion of the lower Valley of Aosta. There is no, in verifiable sources, a homonymous Marian advocation located in a "department of Valle de Aosta" in Colombia; all indicates that this is a geographical confusion, and that the advocation is linked to Perloz (Valle de Aosta, Italy), not Colombia.

As for the historical origins, the sources consulted (official tourist database of the Aosta Valley and other repertories of religious heritage) point to the sanctuary as a place of ancient Marian devotion, but do not provide a precise date of foundation or secure documentation of the 12th century. The mention of a "probable" origin of the 12th century should be considered for now, no documentada: the available sources do not confirm it and rather refer to a progressive evolution of the cult and the building over the centuries. No news of apparitions, private revelations or extraordinary foundational facts linked to Our Lady of the Perloz Guard has been found in accessible diocesan or specialized sources; therefore, does not contain a specific foundational tradition / legend for this sanctuary, unlike other homonymous claims (e.g., Genoa or Marseilles), which should not be confused with this one.

From the perspective of the recent documented historythe sources highlight the development of the current complex, which includes the sanctuary and other devotional elements, such as a Marian pole important to the region. The whole is today presented as an organized place of pilgrimage and Marian devotion, with a patron feast and procession on 8 September, a sign of a consolidation of the sanctuary as a reference centre for popular piety in the area. However, no fine chronological details (dates of construction of the different phases of the sanctuary, reconstructions, reforms) have been found in the sources consulted; these data "do not contain" precisely in the accessible online documentation.

The image and the sanctuary

Available sources identify the place as "sanctuary of Notre-Dame-of -la-Garde", called in Italian too “Santuario della Madonna della Guardia”, located in the municipality of Perloz, Valle d'Aosta. It's a diocesan Marian shrine, de rito romana, pero no consta that has been raised to the title of a minor basilica or that has a recognition as a national sanctuary; its importance is above all regional, being "the main place of Marian devotion of the lower Valley of Aosta." The complex includes the shrine building, some annexed buildings and an old palace; it is located in a high place over the valley, which reinforces its character as a "guard" or protection over the area.

Various tourist and heritage descriptions point out that the whole includes the "edicole dei Misteri del Rosario" (chapels or stations of the Rosary Mysteries), which pull access to the sanctuary and make up a clearly structured Marian devotional itinerary. This presence of the Rosary stations indicates a strong integration of the Rosary prayer into the spirituality of the place. On the image of the Virgin venerated in the sanctuary, the sources consulted do not provide a detailed description of the type of image (sculpture or painting), its material, nor a precise iconography (for example, if presented as Virgin with the Child, intonized, coronated, etc.); therefore, these data no constan in the available documentation.

Sponsorship and coronation

The sanctuary of Notre-Dame-de-la-Garde de Perloz is described as the the main place of Marian devotion of the lower Valley of Aosta, which in fact gives him a spiritual reference role for that area. However, in the sources consulted no consta a formal proclamation of Our Lady of the Perloz Guard as official employer of the municipality of Perloz, of the diocese or of the region in the canon-legal sense; it is rather a de facto patronage, linked to the centrality of its sanctuary in the local religious life.

As for a canonical coronation of the image (according to the rite approved by the Holy See), the diocesan, tourist and religious heritage sources consulted do not mention any act of canonical, pontifical or delegate coronation. No reference is made to the bull, decree or official coronation celebration. As a result, to date and with the information available, it should be stated that does not contain a documented canonical coronation for the image of Our Lady of the Perloz Guard.

Party and devotion

The sources indicate that the Patron party linked to the sanctuary of Notre-Dame-de-la-Garde de Perloz is celebrated the September 8, day on which a procession to the sanctuary. This date coincides with the liturgical memory of the Nativity of the Blessed Virgin Mary, which provides a significant Marian framework for the celebration. The patronal procession indicates a devotion rooted in the population, with a participation of faithful who come to the sanctuary to honor the Virgin on that given day.

The sanctuary is described as the the main place of Marian devotion of the lower Valley of Aosta, which shows a constant influx of pilgrims and visitors throughout the year, although the sources consulted do not provide specific figures for participation or statistics of pilgrimages. In addition to the procession of 8 September, the presence of the stations of the Mysteries of the Rosary suggests the existence of pilgrimages and pious exercises that make up the prayer of the Rosary by walking these chapels, common practice in many Marian shrines that articulate the space with a "way of the Rosary." Other specific popular traditions (votes, vows, promises, documented miracles) no constan in available sources.

Link to the Rosary

The relationship of Our Lady of the Perloz Guard with the Rosary appears explicitly in the description of the sanctuarial complex: the sources indicate that the sanctuary includes “the news of the Mysteries of the Rosary”, i.e., chapels or stations dedicated to the different mysteries of the Rosary, which form an integral part of the whole. This structure indicates that the prayer of the Rosary It is a characteristic practice of the sanctuary, probably lived in the form of processions or mediative tours by the mysteries of the life of Christ and of the Virgin, according to the tradition of the Rosary.

Although no specific rules, formally erected copradies or particular indulgences linked to the Rosary have been found in this sanctuary, the fact that the Mysteries of the Rosary are materially represented in the sacred enclosure shows that the Rosarian devotion is a stable element of the spirituality of the place. In this context, the Rosary accompanies devotion to Our Lady of the Guard as a contemplation school of the mysteries of Christ with Mary, allowing the faithful to travel, with the repetition of the Avemaria, the great moments in the history of salvation. Where more precise data on the practices of the sanctuary are lacking, it can be said with rigour that, thanks to the chapels of the Mysteries, the Rosary is integrated in an organic way into the experience of pilgrimage and Marian prayer in Perloz, favoring a trusted relationship with the Virgin who "keeps" and protects the valley.