#Shrine for the Black Madonna

[worldeaternyc]

Pre-release track from upcoming Shrine for the Black Madonna EP from World Eater Recordings, NYC. Recorded & Mixed 2023 at World Eater Recordings, NYC (www.worldeaternyc.com info@worldeaternyc.com). © & ℗ 2024 Subatomika Music (ASCAP)/World Eater Music™ (ASCAP)/World Eater Recordings, NYC™. All Rights Reserved.

[saint-stanthony]

Our lady🗡🥀

[dieletztepanzerhexe]

The Black Madonna of Częstochowa on a tree

[cesarecitypilgrim]

Maria Bistrica, il Santuario Nazionale Croato/Maria Bistrica the National Croatian Shrine

Maria Bistrica, il Santuario Nazionale Croato/Maria Bistrica the National Croatian Shrine

[noritaro]

what comics would you recommend to someone interested in batjokes

you dare release the behemoth inside of me?? (i am kissing you on the forehead beloved anon) Joker is very commonly implied to be in love with Batman most of the time actually- you'd see a lot of gay shit in most comics

these are the ones I started with when I got the batjokes brainrot/one from the top of my head at 4 am, but theres a lotta content out there from DC themselves

Batman: Europa - this is the batjokes bible, its 4 issues and the very first page will make you see as to why i call it the batjokes bible

Scott Snyders Batman run (2011) - more specifically Death of the Family (not to be mistaken for Death in the Family) Endgame and #48

Arkham Asylum Serious House On A Serious Earth - this is straight up one of the best Batman comics in general, Joker is VERY queercoded in this, and if you get the 25th anniversary edition like i did you will get to see old concepts of Joker wearing a black Madonna dress before DC higher ups stepped in

Batman: White Knight - Joker literally has a Batman shrine in this

Batman & The Joker: The Deadly Duo - they team up here dawg

Batman: The Dark Knight Returns - another one of those very iconic Batman comics, almost every Batman fan has read this Joker calls Brucey "darling" here need i say more

I needa go sleep soon do have fun with these as starters :3 happy reading anon

oh and! the Telltale Batman games (particularly the second one) had a fuck ton of batjokes in it! As well as the Arkhamverse games, Joker literally serenades Batsy with love songs in the credits

there's so much canon shit out there even outside of the comic book realms

[mariacallous]

Donald Trump’s joint appearance with Polish President Andrzej Duda in the battleground state of Pennsylvania has been canceled, according to a source familiar with the Republican presidential candidate's plans.

Trump and Duda had been planning to attend the unveiling of a monument at the Roman Catholic National Shrine of Our Lady of Czestochowa in Doylestown, Pennsylvania on Sunday. The shrine, named after the southern Polish city that is home to a famous Black Madonna painting, is an important site for Polish-Americans. If the event had gone forward, it would have marked a rare instance of a foreign leader appearing alongside a U.S. presidential candidate on the campaign trail. It was not immediately clear why the appearance was canceled or if Trump would meet Duda at another time or place. Voters of Central and Eastern European descent have become highly sought after in the final weeks of the race between Trump and Vice President Kamala Harris, the Democratic nominee. Pennsylvania, in particular, is home to a sizeable Ukrainian-American and Polish-American population. As the state is among the most competitive in the nation, this demographic could help determine the outcome of the election. Harris has said that Trump would fail to stand up to aggression by Russian President Vladimir Putin if he wins the November 5 election, a claim the Trump campaign denies. A Who’s Who of foreign leaders will be arriving in the United States in the coming days for the 79th session of the UN General Assembly. The Polish embassy in Washington did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

[leroibobo]

the shrine of saint sarah in the church of the saintes-maries-de-la-mer in in the camargue in france. the church itself was built in the 9th century and named for and dedicated to the three marys. a popular french legend goes that they and their maid, sarah, landed on a camargue coast.

saint sarah, or sarah-e-kali (sarah the black, “the black” is a title sometimes given to black/dark-skinned saints) in romani, is the patron saint of roma people in latin catholicism, though she isn't recognized by the catholic church. she is also revered as a protector for marginalized and poor people in general. her origins are thought to lie in a syncretization of the hindu goddess kali, the story of sarah along with the three marys, and the tradition of black madonnas. (christian roma have historically venerated other black madonnas as well.) the church is her major shrine - she's venerated here annually on the 24th of may by roma pilgrims.

[msclaritea]

Templars and the Black Madonnas

From 1100 A.D. to 1300 A.D., hundreds of Gothic Cathedrals were constructed all over Europe. These great Gothic cathedrals, such as the ones at Chartres, Paris, Salisbury, St.Denis, and Cluny were dedicated to Notre Dame, Our Lady. Our Lady is usually thought to be the Blessed Virgin Mary, but by some Mary Magdalene.

Most cathedrals were also home to Black Madonnas, of which about 400 to 500 are present in Europe, depending on how they are classified. There are at least 180 Vierges Noires in France, and there are hundreds of non-medieval copies as well.

Black Virgins have been associated by historians and archaeologists with mother goddesses,  such as Isis, deities sometimes represented as black. Historically, Isis of Egypt was the first recorded appearance of a Black Madonna, other than the Paleolithic Venus figurines.

As the indigenous goddess worship evolved in Europe, statues of dark skinned Middle Eastern goddesses such as Inanna, Astarte, Artemis and Cybele were introduced to the European continent by Phoenician traders from 1550 BC to about 30 BCE. The Phoenicians came from the coastal regions of modern day Lebanon, Syria and Israel and were highly influential culturally. Indeed their phonetic alphabet is believed to be the forerunner of most modern alphabets.

The Roman invasion of Gaul (France) and other parts of Europe also encouraged worship of these goddesses. The cult of Isis was the dominant religion of the Mediterranean during late Roman times, and had spread into Roman-occupied lands, including Gaul. The city of Paris was devoted to Isis, as Lyon was to Cybele and Marseilles to Artemis.

Many of the black Madonnas exist in France, and date from around the time of the crusades, when Bernard of Clairvaux wrote numerous commentaries on the Canticles, comparing the soul to the bride, Our Lady. He was also known to have visited several shrines of the Black Madonna, for example: Chatillon and Affligem.

Ean Begg, author of The Cult of the Black Virgin, speculates that the genre developed from an esoteric popular religion common among the Templars and Cathars, perhaps as a complement to the impetus from Bernard. He even states that many of the Black Virgins in European cathedrals were brought from the near east by the Knights Templar. Lynn Picknett, author of Mary Magdalene: Christianity's Hidden Goddess, and The Templar Revelation, links the Black Madonnas to Magdalene, whom, he thinks, may have come from Ethiopia, a dark skinned, powerful, and wealthy queen.

[ausetkmt]

Detroit's Black Madonna turned church into social, political force

[zerogate]

In earlier times the shrines of Isis had an equivocal reputation. The goddess was popular with the demimonde, and her worship can have had little connection with moral purity. But such scandals are not recorded in the third century, when indeed they would have hardly have been tolerated. In our period the worship of Isis was organised in a manner very like that of the Catholic Church. There was a kind of pope, with priests, monks, singers, and acolytes. The images of the Madonna were covered with true or false jewels, and her toilette was dutifully attended to every day. Daily matins and evensong were said in the chief temples. The priests were tonsured and wore white linen vestments. There were two great annual festivals, in the spring and autumn. The autumn festival was the occasion of public grief and joy over the death and resurrection of Osiris-Sarapis. The processions and ceremonies described by Apuleius and others were ingeniously contrived to excite curiosity, stimulate devotional feeling, and gratify the æsthetic sense.

For the mystic, Isis represented the deepest mysteries of life. Proclus makes her say, ‘I am that which has been, is, and will be. My garment none has lifted.’ The worship of Isis was closely connected with that of the dog-headed Anubis, long popular in Egypt; of Harpocrates the son of Isis and Osiris, and above all of Sarapis, who more and more took the place of the old Egyptian god, Osiris. Sarapis was a deity of many attributes; he had a great reputation for miraculous cures, and invalids often slept in his temples. He ended as a solar deity of omnipotent majesty, and as the great god of Alexandria threw Isis somewhat into the shade. Caracalla paid him the compliment of dedicating to him the sword with which he had killed his brother Geta, as South-Italian assassins have been known to offer to the Virgin the knife which they have used successfully on a private enemy.

Isis was a suffering and merciful mother-goddess, who longed to ease human troubles. Her worship had a miraculous element for the vulgar, a spiritual theology for the cultured, and an attractive ritual for the average worshipper.

No other religion practised faith-healing, by passing the night in temples (ἐγκοίμησις), on so large a scale. This Egyptian religion never inculcated a very robust or elevated morality. Its power lay in its charm, and in the hope of immortality which was always strong in the Egyptian religion. ‘There is a famous passage in an ancient Egyptian text relating to the worship of Osiris, which speaks of the loyal votary of the god after death. “As truly as Osiris lives, shall he live; as truly as Osiris is not dead, shall he not die; as truly as Osiris is not annihilated, shall he not be annihilated.” The initiate is to share eternally in the divine life; nay, he does already share it. He becomes Osiris.

[...]

The worship of the Magna Mater had been known and recognised in Attica as early as the fourth century B.C., and at Rome as early as the second Punic war, and was patronised by the aristocracy, though no Roman was allowed to enrol himself among the eunuch priests of the Asiatic goddess. King Attalus at this time presented the senate with the black aerolite, formerly kept at Pessinus and then at Pergamum, which was supposed to be the abode of the Idæan Mother. The grateful Romans, at last rid of Hannibal, erected a temple to her on the Palatine, and ordained an annual holy week in her honour.

The Phrygian religion was wild and violent, as befitted a climate which produces extremes of heat and cold. It included such primitive elements as the worship of stones and trees, and at once horrified and fascinated the West by its wild orgies at the spring festival, which culminated in the self-mutilation of devotees. But it had also an ascetic order of mendicant friars, and ‘mysteries,’ of which little is known.

Till the beginning of the empire, the Phrygian worship was kept under strict control, and attracted little notice except on the festival days when the foreign priests marched in procession through the streets. But Claudius, according to a second-century authority, removed the restrictions on the worship of Cybele and Attis, and Roman citizens began to be chosen as archigalli. Henceforth the Phrygian worship received a measure of official support not extended to other Oriental religions. The festal processions were very imposing, and the death and resurrection of Attis was regarded as a sacrament and pledge of human immortality. The worshippers sang, ‘Take courage, ye initiated, because the god is saved: to you also will come salvation from your troubles.’

-- William Ralph Inge, The philosophy of Plotinus

[moneeb0930]

THE BLACK MADONNA.

Isis was a Black African goddess of Nile Valley civilizations whose worship eventually diffused to most of the ancient world.

Isis was worshipped by the Nubians well over 300 years before the first Egyptian dynasty.

The Egyptians then gave the Isis religion to Greece, Rome, and Western Asia.

Gerald Massey says that the religious records of all the worlds religions including Hinduism, Buddhism, and Christianity are nothing more than copies of the religious records of the Black goddess Isis, her son Horus, and her husband Osiris.

For example, Horus was the first child born from a virgin mother's Immaculate Conception, and he was said to have walked on water just as Jesus later did.

The Black goddess Isis is also credited with resurrecting Osiris after he was murdered.

The first "Black Madonna and Child" statutes and portraits were of Isis and Horus, and these were taken throughout the world by the Roman Empire.

When other religions became more popular, these statues were not destroyed, but simply had their names changed.

In India, Isis and Horus became Maya and Buddha in Buddhism or Devaki and Krishna in Hinduism.

The Chinese called Isis Kwa-yin, and the Japanese changed the name to Kwannon.

In his 1985 book entitled "The Cult of the Black Virgin", Ean Begg was able to identify over 450 images of a Black virgin and child in Europe with over 190 statutes in France alone.

J.A. Rogers says that Paris was actually named for Isis because Para-isis means "Place of Isis." He also says that Note Dame means "Our Lady" and that the cathedral is nothing more than an enlargement of the original Isis temple.

Millions of pilgrims visit the Black Madonna shrines annually because they are believed to possess magical powers, although the statues are now called Mary and Jesus.

It is believed that only the Black statues are magical and all pilgrimages stopped whenever the statues were painted white.

The Black Madonnas have been credited with healing towns of plagues, bringing dead babies to life, making infertile women pregnant, and saving nations during wars.

Many crutches have been left at the feet of the Black Madonnas, who presumably gave their owners the power to walk.

One of the most devoted pilgrims of the Black Madonna shrine in Poland is the current Pope John Paul II.

He prayed to her image while recovering from his gun shot wound.

She is credited with thousands of documented miracles including saving Poland from Russia in 1769.

In 1968 alone, the Black Madonna shrine in Poland received over 66,000 thank you letters for healing and other miracles. Pilgrims frequently leave gold watches and rings at the feet of the Black Madonnas in appreciation.

Church literature absolutely refuses to acknowledge any association of Black Madonnas with Africa.

Church officials claim that the Madonnas are Black because of smoke from candles and from dirt and old age.

Church officials would never admit that the ancient Egyptians, Greeks, and Romans made pilgrimages until 536 AD to the Isis temple at Philae, Egypt to seek the same miracles that current pilgrims seek from the Black Madonna shrines.

Isis was recognized as a supreme miracle and magic worker and is also credited with teaching mankind the art of curing disease. Isis was able to restore life to the dead as she did with her husband Osiris and later with the infant Horus, who was brought back to life after he was killed by a scorpion's sting. Isis was the goddess of corn and grain, water and navigation, and even clothing. She was also called a divine granter of salvation for souls of mankind. The ancient Black Egyptians acknowledged Isis as the source of all their prosperity, including the Nile River.

Isis worship was so strong in Europe that Roman citizens ignored Emperors Augustus and Tuberous, who outlawed Isis worship and persecuted her priests.

Emperor Caligulia finally bowed to public pressure and re-established the Isis worship.

Emperor Justinian caused an unsuccessful armed insurrection in 536 AD, when he ordered all Isis temples permanently closed.

[worldeaternyc]

Hey folks! Thanks for taking a minute to read out April/Early Spring News Update, and as always, thank you (again) for all your past and continued support! Here are the latest bits of news from World Eater Recordings, our bands and projects to update you with!

STARTING OFF: World Eater Recordings has been hired by Italian filmmaker Alan Carlos Guido for sound design and mixing for his amazing short film "we Live", based on an amazing, diverse neighborhood in his native Italy. It's a compelling and engaging film, presenting the various sides of life juxtaposed against the modern European reality. Its a film that conveys a unity of community that transcends national boundaries, and I'm sure you'll recognize yourself and your local community in it. We'll update you once the film is released-please look out for it!!

CURRENT CLASSIC PUNK/HARDCORE: We're very proud and thankful that so many of you have picked up a copy of GAMMA PHI ACME: 30 Years Beyond The Future! Its been fantastic for us to read the supportive comments and memories of amazing live shows from those who've been longtime supporters of the band. That being said-put one hand on your hat and another on your ass and hold on while we hip you tho this:

A LIVE CASSETTE OF GAMMA PHI ACME HAS BEEN UNCOVERED!!!!!!!!

While we suspect this cassette is from one of Gamma Phi Acme's infamous CBGB's shows-its a PURE FORCE either way! We are currently putting our magic sonic touches on it to bring the audio into the modern day, while preserving and enhancing the amazing live sound and energy of a legendary fun and dangerous NYC classic NYHC/Punk band (IYK, YK). We'll keep you posted on a release date, and in the meantime if you haven't done so, purchase yourself a copy of GAMMA PHI ACME: 30 Years Beyond the Future from https://gammaphiacme.bandcamp.com/album/30-years-beyond-the-future and when you're walking or driving, stream the album from Apple Music, Spotify, YouTube Music, or other favorite music streaming platform!

PERFORMANCE UPDATE: Jared Hassan Foles, and The Sweet Fuzzy Itsy Bitsy have separated from their work for the stage play “1001 Nights: Love Stories on Death Row (a Rock Opéra)”, (written and produced by Olga El), AND WILL NOT PERFORM at this year's NYC Fresh Fruit Festival, May 1-3, 2024.

The World Eater Recordings team and The Sweet Fuzzy Itsy Bitsy apologize to anyone that may have purchased tickets to see them perform or hear Jared's compositions-the show WILL NOT FEATURE ANY MUSIC OF THE SWEET FUZZY ITSY BITSY OR JARED HASSAN FOLES, due to contractual obligations.

HOWEVER-the play and the Fresh Fruit Festival feature a wonderful set of performers and great works, and we encourage all those who may have bought tickets due to Jared Hassan Foles or The Sweet Fuzzy Itsy Bitsy's involvement, to keep their tickets and GO SEE THE PLAYS!!! You will have a GREAT time, you'll be supporting deserving, burgeoning artists, and The Sweet Fuzzy Itsy Bitsy will still (but separately) release the music as an EP/album sometime thereafter.

In the meantime, if you haven’t already-grab yourself a copy of The Sweet Fuzzy Itsy Bitsy’s latest, “The Masters of Rock and Roll” from https://worldeaternyc.bandcamp.com , and remember you can their earlier works on Apple Music, Spotify, Amazon, and our music videos on YouTube.com

Also: The Sweet Fuzzy Itsy Bitsy have partnered with our great friends at Punkdemic.net to offer a limited edition tee, designed by Jared to celebrate the latest SFIB release "The Masters of Rock and Roll", and its ONLY available at https://punkdemic.net/products/recycled-unisex-mens-and-womens-sports-jersey . Go Get it!!

THE JAZZ CHRONICLES: A small update-we've had to push back the release of Ty's Urban Groove- Tyree Pope’s amazing album that we’ve been working on the last year. We just want to ensure that everyone that's playing on the album is properly taken care of via the publishing-we want to get it RIGHT!! So remember: If you love smooth jazz with a touch of funk, you’ll love Ty’s Urban Groove, featuring members of the Latin Jazz All Stars, Irene Cara’s band (RIP), and the Drifters (yes-THE Drifters!!). Look for Ty’s Urban Groove on our label sometime between June-August 2024.

FOR THE GAMERS: Though some of you are already in the know-if you're a fan of Twitch, and like to play the latest games and independent live music performances, both World Eater Recordings and Jared Hassan Foles have Twitch channels for you to follow and subscribe to! Currently you can watch, chat and engage with Jared and the World Eater Recordings team while they have their internal gaming competitions, and help us reach our subscriber goals, so we can ultimately broadcast LIVE IN STUDIO CONCERTS of your favorite independent musicians and artists. YOu don't have to be member of Twitch to watch, but Twitch is a great platform, and only members can follow/subscribe to our channels and qualify for drops and special subscriber only items. We hope you'll join us! http://www.twitch.tv/worldeaternyc http://www.twitch.tv/jaredhassan

BIG LIVE PERFORMANCE NEWS!!!!! BOOM-CHECK IT: Shrine for the Black Madonna (Shrine4TBM anywhere on the web) be playing a raucous Thursday evening show, May 9th at the fantastic The Bowery Electric-back in our beloved Lower East Side! Shrine for the Black Madonna joins an AMAZING lineup led by Burnt Sugar the Arkestra Chamber that are fired up to get us all SPRUNG for Spring!

The lineup features:

BSAC Electric Slide Conduction #1 conducted by Vernon Reid Shrine for the Black Madonna Juba Lee 4Tet @Ms. Olithea Ben Tyree’s Activator Trio Smoota & The Beast Honeychild Coleman B-Mack & Ms. Olithea w Jared Michael Nickerson’s Bubble Bass at the Top & Inbetwixt Sets

So, get your advanced tickets at the link below, and join us Thursday May 9th at The Bowery Electric!!!

BURNT SUGAR SMOKEHOUSE (Bow Wow Bowery Edition) Thursday, May 9th @ The Bowery Electric 327 Bowery NYNY 7pm Doors

SMOKEHOUSE TICKETS $20 Advance / $25 @ The Door First 50 through the door receive a Free BSAC Tee or CD CLICK HERE TO BUY ADVANCE TICKETS: https://www.ticketweb.com/event/-burnt-sugar-the-arkestra-the-bowery-electric-tickets/13417524?pl=boweryelectric

PS: Remember in the last issue, we mentioned a teaser of new, unreleased Shrine for the Black Madonna? Well, stick this in your ear: Someday, Monday: https://soundcloud.com/jared-hassan-foles/shrine-for-the-black-madonna-someday-monday?si=c5cc6cb31e6f41e7a35fc1b7f2937eca&utm_source=clipboard&utm_medium=text&utm_campaign=social_sharing

We’re always in the act of making something we hope you'll enjoy and resonate with. Please stay in touch with us, feel free to reach out, and follow and like “worldeaternyc” everywhere across the internets!

World Eater Recordings Merch!!!

Design By Humans: https://www.designbyhumans.com/shop/WorldEaterNYC/

Punkdemic.net: https://punkdemic.net/products/recycled-unisex-mens-and-womens-sports-jersey

[memorycavities]

Fall Colors on Bald Knob Cross, Southern Illinois 

/

Nativity Grotto at Black Madonna Shrine near Eureka, Missouri

[thewitchery]

Black Madonna Ritual Relic Rosary // Those that know me, know I love old religious iconography. I use saints & religious artifacts in my spellwork, & have no issues or qualms doing so. This beautiful rosary was deconstructed & reconstructed with a Mal’va Star centerpiece & then a beautiful Black Madonna of Czestochowa Relic Medal at the base. This medal is very special as it contains a scrap of cloth behind it that was carried & has been touched to the shrine of Our Lady of Czestochowa & thusly blessed. Obtain at #TheWitchery.Ca via https://www.thewitchery.ca/product/black-madonna-relic-rosary/ In Slavic folklore the Mal’va symbolizes love for one’s land, for one’s parents and for one’s home. This star flower reminds us of our spiritual roots, & of one’s ancestors. The Mallow or eight-pointed star is formed by superimposing a straight cross (symbol of masculinity & the Sun) & an oblique cross (symbol of femininity & the Moon). The joining of these two entities naturally gives life. The full mallow is also known as the Mother’s Star. This is the symbol that is often seen in icons of the Virgin Mary. Her image (Our Lady of Częstochowa) juxtaposes several ideals of womanhood: a powerful, heavenly queen, a suffering mother, a perfect nurturer…(the) scars a sign of suffering she shares with her worshippers. ~ Trochimczyk Black Madonna of Częstochowa will hear the calls of those with depression, one who is searching to fill the void, women with fertility & menstruation issues, & people that need her guidance. She is a healer & the light at the end of a dark tunnel although she appears blackened & burned by fire she is filled with answers. Can be used to connect to Black Madonna through ritual & mediation work. . . . #blackmadonna #madonna #czestochowa #ourladyofczestochowa #ourladyofczęstochowa #witch #healing #witchcraft #relic #slavic #witchery #spells #witchesofig #witchylife #altar #witchythings #amulets #talismans #devotional #icons #icon #saints #moontime #rosary #rosaries #witchesrosary https://www.instagram.com/p/Coh5GCFpMEO/?igshid=NGJjMDIxMWI=

[catholicjourneys]

Explore Poland's Sacred Sites on a Pilgrimage

Embark on a meaningful pilgrimage to Poland with Catholic Journeys and explore the rich spiritual heritage of this historic country. Visit sacred sites like the Shrine of Divine Mercy in Krakow, the birthplace of Pope John Paul II in Wadowice, and the revered Jasna Góra Monastery in Częstochowa, home of the Black Madonna. Our carefully planned pilgrimage offers a unique opportunity to deepen your faith, connect with other pilgrims, and immerse yourself in Poland's vibrant Catholic culture. Join us for an unforgettable journey of reflection, prayer, and discovery.

[martinwilliammichael]

Le Puy is possibly the most ancient Marian shrine in the world

In the department of Haute Loire in southern France (...) lies the oriental-looking Cathedral of Le Puy. It has a series of cupolas, Romanesque arches, and in some ways resembles a mosque. The capitals of the pillars which sustain the vault are as artistic as any of the basilicas in France; the facade is Moorish. The stairs leading up to the church from the city below pass next to the ancient druid altar and then rise to the shrine itself.

The image of the Black Madonna of Le Puy is an almost exact replica of the ancient one, which had been dragged about during a mock trial at the time of the French Revolution. This statue was guillotined like Marie Antoinette and then burned. The present statue, made of black marble, represents Our Lady seated on a stool and is about twenty-five inches high. She holds her son on her knees. According to tradition, the original venerated statue was brought to the sanctuary by St. Louis, King of France. During the Crusades, King Louis was captured by the Moors in Africa, but the Sultan, as a sign of his esteem, presented to the King of France a cedar wood figure of Our Lady with the Child, venerated also by the Moslems. There is another legend that the statue was carved by the prophet Jeremiah.

Le Puy thus claims to be the most ancient shrine of Our Lady in the world. In any case the origins of the shrine of Le Puy go back to the druidic age. Mont Anis, the hill on which the cathedral stands, was the site of a druidic altar and during the Roman occupation, it was replaced by a temple of Jupiter. Very soon after the arrival of Christianity, it is said that a woman seeking relief from a mysterious fever went up to this ancient place of worship. Suddenly, the Blessed Virgin appeared to her and asked that a chapel be built on the site. When the Bishop visited the spot, sometime in midsummer, he found snow on the mountain in a shape that indicated the building plan of a chapel. He fenced the place in with a hedge of thorns and, to his great astonishment, found on the next morning that the bushes had blossomed into flowers. The popular legend asserts also that the Bishop of St. George of Velay was a disciple of St. Peter.

The chapel, however, was built much later. Toward the end of the fifth century, another bishop of Velay was faced with a similar request: another woman was cured on the mountain, and Our Lady, who subsequently appeared to her, asked again that a shrine be erected on the spot.

The church was built but never consecrated by the bishop because, as in the case of the Swiss shrine of Einsiedeln, when the bishop arrived, "he found the chapel ablaze with lights and filled with music, and it was believed that it had been already consecrated by the angels." (H. M. Gillet, Famous Shrines of Our Lady.)

From this time forward, the history of Le Puy is one of glory. By the sixth century, so many pilgrims were flocking to Le Puy that a guest house had to be built. Charlemagne visited Le Puy twice; all the princes of the Carolingian dynasty showered gifts on the shrine. Later, St. Louis, King of France, donated a new statue and journeyed twice on pilgrimages with his queen.

The visits of Charlemagne, the seven popes, the kings and the saints live on at this place, not as shadows of the past, but as actual marks of an undying dedication to the Blessed Virgin who chose this part of France to be venerated as "Our Lady of France."

Zsolt Aradi

Source: www.catholicculture.org (Adapted)