Our Lady Liberator of Montligeon

Marian title of La Chapelle- Montligeon (Normandy)

♪ documented history ♪

Main data

Origin and history

♪ documented history ♪

El Notre-Dame de Montligeon Sanctuary was born in the late 19th century on the initiative of the _, parish priest of La Chapelle-Montligeon. According to the official history of the sanctuary, the priest, impressed by the material and spiritual misery of his parishioners and the suffering of the purgatory souls, founded in 1884 una work of prayer for the deceased, which would become the "Archiconfrérie of Notre-Dame de Montligeon" (archichofradia of prayer for purgatory souls).

The construction of the present temple began shortly after, as a result of this work and the international dissemination of the association of prayer. The sanctuary is defined today as the "sanctuary that does good to souls"dedicated in particular to the intercession by the deceased and Christian hope in the face of death. Over time, Montligeon has become actually recognized as World sanctuary of prayer for the deceased, receiving faithful from many countries.

# # Tradition and spiritual accents

No constan apariciones of the Virgin or extraordinary foundational facts linked to this advocation; it is a Invocation born of a work of spiritual charity and prayer for the souls of purgatorywhich presents Mary as Mother liberating who accompanies the deceased towards full communion with God.

In the spirituality spread from Montligeon, the Virgin is invoked as Our Lady Liberator in the sense of who, by their intercession, helps souls to be purified and to reach the vision of God. This spiritual accent belongs to the field of devotion and catechesis, and not to accounts of documented particular apparitions or revelations.

The image and the sanctuary

♪ ♪ The image

Montligeon se venera una picture de Our Lady Liberator, represented in traditional Marian key, associated with the mission of intercede for the souls of purgatory. However, the easily accessible documentation of the sanctuary itself does not find sufficiently accurate and verified data on:

- exact material of the image (wood, stone, plaster or other), - author, - date of realization, - specific iconographic details (for example, if the purgatory souls appear explicitly at their feet).

Since these elements are not clearly reflected in the sources consulted, it should be strictly stated: does not contain a detailed and documented iconographic description of the image.

♪ ♪ The sanctuary and the basilica

The main place of worship is the "Our Lady of Montligeon", situado en La Chapelle-Montligeon (Department of Orne, Normandy region, France). The temple is a great neo-Gothic church commonly known as Basilica of Our Lady of MontligeonThe sanctuary itself presents it as basilica and sanctuary dedicated to prayer for the deceased.

The sanctuarial complex includes:

– la basilica-saturary, centro de la liturgia y de la adoración, – dependencias de acogida para peregrinos (casa de retiro, espacios de escucha y acompañamiento), – un amplio entorno natural, que favorece el recogimiento y la oración por los difuntos.

The information available does not explicitly specify the decree or the date of granting the minor basilica, although the temple is known and designated as a basilica in the ecclesial and pastoral field of the place. Therefore, it is indicated: the sanctuary is known as the basilica of Notre-Dame de Montligeon; the specific legal details of its erection as a minor basilica are not recorded in the sources consulted.

With regard to the mention "Normandy, Colombia" in some texts, it should be noted with rigour that the original and main sanctuary of Notre‐Dame de Montligeon is in Normandy, France; does not contain a main self-named sanctuary officially erected in Colombia with the same title.

Sponsorship and coronation

# Patronage

The Shrine of Montligeon is presented as World sanctuary of prayer for the deceasedwith a mission that goes beyond the local level and is oriented towards Universal Church. However, no formal statement of the type appears in the sources consulted:

- "patron of... (diocese, nation, city),"

nor a specific decree of canonical patronage on a particular diocese or territory. It must therefore be stated:

– It does not contain a specific territorial canonical patronage (city, diocese or nation) for Our Lady Liberator of Montligeon. – Su “patronazgo” se entiende sobre todo en sentido spiritual, like particular intercessor for the souls of purgatory and the dead of the whole worldthrough the work and archcofradia linked to the sanctuary.

# # Canonical coronation

In the regular documentation (official site of the sanctuary, historical synthesis and dissemination available) no consta in a clear and verifiable way canonical coronation of the image of Our Lady Liberator of Montligeon approved by the Holy See, with indication of year and pontiff or pontifical delegate.

In accordance with the criteria requested, the following should be explicitly indicated:

– There is no documented canonical coronation.

Party and devotion

La main party linked to Our Lady Liberator of Montligeon is celebrated the 2 November, coinciding with the Liturgical Commemoration of the Dead faithful. This day becomes the great annual moment of prayer for souls, around the figure of Mary invoked as Mother of mercy and hope.

The life of the sanctuary is articulated around:

– Regular Pilgrimage: personas y grupos que acuden durante todo el año para inscribir a sus difuntos en la obra de Montligeon, participar en misas por los difuntos, retiros y tiempos de adoración. – Celebrations for the deceased: the sanctuary offers in a stable way Masses and prayers for the souls of purgatory, así como acompañamiento para quienes han sufrido un duelo. – Una work of suffrage Extended internationally, by inscriptions of the dead and living in the archcofradia, to be remembered permanently in the masses and prayers of the sanctuary.

No precise and up-to-date statistical data on the annual number of pilgrims (specific influx figures) have been found and should therefore be indicated: do not contain exact figures of recorded inflow in the sources consulted, although the sanctuary is described as a place of international pilgrimage for prayer for the deceased.

In the popular piety linked to Montligeon they highlight:

– la Mass for the deceased, – la Eucharistic adoration, – las novenas y sufragios por las almas del purgatorio, – la inscripción de nombres en la obra de oración del santuario.

Link to the Rosary

In the specific information about Notre-Dame de Montligeon there is no exclusive or unique link of this advocation with a particular form of Rosary (e.g. a specific promise or a prayer mode). It should therefore be stated:

– There is no particular and exclusive relationship of this advocation to the Rosary beyond the common Marian practice of the Church.

However, the Rosary is part of the usual Marian prayer of the faithful and, in the context of Montligeon, is very naturally integrated into the spirituality of the sanctuary:

– El Rosario es una meditación de los misterios de Cristo con Marí

Sources: tradition of the sanctuary, diocesan information and Wikipedia in Spanish. The distinction between popular piety and documented ecclesial history is specific to this fact sheet; extraordinary accounts are presented as devotion and not as doctrinal pronunciation.