Our Lady of Liesse

Marian Advocation of Liesse- Notre- Dame (Alta France)

According to the tradition or legendthe origin of the sanctuary is in the time of the Crusades. Three knights of the lordship of Eppes were reportedly made prisoners in Egypt; the daughter of the Sultan, called Ismerie, moved by his faith, visited them in prison. Through an angel, the captives would have been given an image of the Virgin Mary; the princess, impressed by the beauty of the figure and by the stories about Christ, decided to help them to flee and follow the Christian faith. After many prodigious events, the knights and the princess arrive in the region of Laon; Ismerie receives the baptism and takes the name of Mary, and the small image of the Virgin remains in the place that will be called "Liesse" (Joy), for the joy of liberation and faith.

Main data

Origin and history

According to the tradition or legendthe origin of the sanctuary is in the time of the Crusades. Three knights of the lordship of Eppes were reportedly made prisoners in Egypt; the daughter of the Sultan, called Ismerie, moved by his faith, visited them in prison. Through an angel, the captives would have been given an image of the Virgin Mary; the princess, impressed by the beauty of the figure and by the stories about Christ, decided to help them to flee and follow the Christian faith. After many prodigious events, the knights and the princess arrive in the region of Laon; Ismerie receives the baptism and takes the name of Mary, and the small image of the Virgin remains in the place that will be called "Liesse" (Joy), for the joy of liberation and faith.

As for the documented historythe shrine of Notre-Dame de Liesse is located in the village of Liesse-Notre-Dame, in the department of Aisne, in the French region of Alta France (Hauts-de-France). It is attested to as a place of Marian pilgrimage at least since the Middle Ages, with a strong development from the XV-XVI centuries. Several kings of France, including Louis XI and other monarchs, were among their pilgrims, and the reputation of the sanctuary as a place of graces and Marian miracles was consolidated in the northern part of France and the surrounding dioceses. The name "Liesse" (Alegría) appears to be linked in a stable way to the advocation and to the people in subsequent documentation.

The image and the sanctuary

La image of Our Lady of Liesse es una Virgin with the Child, of a sedent type, venerated as black virgin. The iconography highlights the royalty and motherhood of Mary: the Virgin holds the Child Jesus in her lap and both appear traditionally crowned or covered with rich blankets, according to the custom of the images of pilgrimage. The original image was destroyed at the time of the French Revolution; the current figure is a later reconstruction, enthroned to resume the cult, following the model and memory of the ancient "Notre-Dame de Liesse." The precise material (wood, stone or other) of the primitive image is not clear in the sources consulted; the safe reference is its character as a three-dimensional statue, the object of veneration and processions.

The main sanctuary is the Basilica of Notre Dame de Liesse, in Liess--Notre-Dame (Aisne, France), recognized as one of the historical Marian shrines of the French north. The present temple, in late Gothic style with subsequent reforms, is a large church, with tower and church elements of pilgrimage. It consists of the documentation that the sanctuary enjoys the title of minor basilica, sign of pontifical recognition of the historical and spiritual importance of the place. It is set up as a reference Marian sanctuary for the Picardia region and the current Alta France, with organization to host pilgrims and diocesan activities. There is no officially designated sanctuary in the sources consulted with this apvocation in Colombia.

Sponsorship and coronation

Our Lady of Liesse is considered patron or reference title for the town of Liesse-Notre-Dame and its surroundings, in the diocese to which the sanctuary belongs (now in the region of Alta France). Devotion identifies it as "Notre- Dame de Liesse" or "Notre- Dame de la Joie" (Our Lady of Joy), associating its patronage with the consolation of the afflicted, the release of captives and Christian joy. There is no national patronage of this vocation in France, but rather a strong regional roots.

As for a canonical coronationthe accessible documentation does not provide a secure year, decree or specific pontiff, unlike other well-documented French claims in this regard. Therefore, in the light of the sources consulted, does not contain a documented canonical coronation for the current image with a clearly verifiable date.

Party and devotion

Local tradition celebrates the main party of Notre-Dame de Liesse in Augustas a great annual meeting of pilgrimage, with the participation of the faithful of the region and other dioceses of France. In addition to this central celebration, the sanctuary hosts throughout the year various parish, diocesan, movement and association pilgrimages, inheriting the old fame of being one of the "great shrines of pilgrimage in northern France." The sources consulted do not contain precise figures of inflow, but their historical weight is highlighted as a place of pilgrimage from the Middle Ages to the present.

La devotion a Our Lady of Liesse is characterized by highlighting the Christian joy nacida de la fe, la intercession by prisoners and captivesand the search for comfort in test situations. The legend of the Knights of Eppes and Princess Ismerie feeds popular piety, presenting Mary as Mother who helps those who are "captive" (in the physical or spiritual sense) and leads them to the freedom of the Gospel. Processions, novenas and prayers of their own at the foot of the image are a regular part of the life of the sanctuary. In the sources consulted, there is no tradition of its own linked to dances or other specific folkloric expressions.

Link to the Rosary

The specific sources on Notre-Dame de Liesse do not mention a particular or historical link with the prayer of the Rosary, as is the case, for example, with advocates explicitly linked to the battle of Lepanto or the preaching of Santo Domingo. Therefore, no consta a relationship of the shrine of Liesse with the origin or a unique form of the devotion of the Rosary.

However, as in most of the great Marian shrines, the Rosary is naturally integrated into the spiritual life of pilgrims. The prayer of the mysteries of Christ in the company of Mary deeply harmonizes with the message of "joy" that characterizes this advocation: in the joyful mysteries the joy of the Incarnation and of salvation is precisely seen, which the tradition of Liesse is associated with the liberation of the captives and the conversion of the heart. Thus, even if there is no specific rosarian origin, the Rosary appears as a privileged way to live, along with Our Lady of Liesse, the joy of faith, hope in the midst of trials and confidence in the intercession of the Virgin Mary.