Our Lady of Marceille

The origin of the pilgrimage of Marceille is lost in the mists of time. According to an ancient tradition, it is due to the miraculous intervention of Mary. A plowman, engaged in the cultivation of his field, suddenly sees his oxen stopped by an obstacle. It is in vain that he tries to urge them on; they offer an invincible resistance. Astonished, he makes the sign of the cross and kneels. He then digs into the earth, and soon a wooden Madonn a appears befo madone de bois Central figure of the pilgrimage, represented by a miraculous statue discovered by a plowman. re his eyes, with a dark face but a captivating smile. Happy with his good fortune, he brings this image to his family, who welcome it with joy. The next day, what is his surprise! The Virgin had disappeared. Returning to his field, he finds her again in the place where he had discovered her the day before. Vainly he takes her away again; the following day the miracle is renewed: the statue disappears once more to return to its preferred place.

The news of this marvelous event did not take long to spread throughout the region. The piety of the populations saw in it a striking proof of the power and goodness of Mary; and soon, supporting such highly manifested desires, they enthusiastically raised a modest sanctuary to the miraculous statue. A painting preserved until the Revoluti on commemo Révolution Period during which the saint's relics were hidden and lost. rated the memory of this legend. It perished then along with historical documents that justified its foundation.

As far back as one can trace in the past, one cannot help but be struck by the ardent devotion of the faithf ul to Our Lady of Marce Notre-Dame de Marseille Central figure of the pilgrimage, represented by a miraculous statue discovered by a plowman. ille; however, since the restoration of the cult and during the course of the 19th century, this devotion has gradually acquired greater energy. In 1835, when cholera invaded choléra Plague that struck Europe and the region in 1835 and 1855, stimulating devotion. Europe and devastated our capital only to expire at the foot of the Pyrenees, the piety of the faithful manifested itself with extraordinary momentum. During the September festivals, one saw processions from all the neighboring villages flocking to Marceille. On the second Sunday, one could have counted up to thirty thousand people. It was a magnificent spectacle. In the morning, the crowd pressed into the church, and in the evening the town was flooded with strangers. In 1855, this scourge having returned to our regions and ceased its ravages, more than sixty thousand people came during the festivals to implore Mary on behalf of the victims and to thank her for having protected them against its terrible effects.

Of all the pilgrimages in the South, that of Limoux is the most frequented; to such an extent that the diocesan authority, desirous of supporting the manifestations of such touching piety, had to allow the September festival, formerly limited to the octave, to be extended until the end of the month. It does not only attract simple faithful; all the priests of the region, up to the extremity of the diocese and the neighboring dioceses, come to offer the holy mysteries there and enhance the splendor of the ceremonies by their presence. Their influx allows the pilgrims, even the most delayed, to attend the holy sacrifice, since it is renewed on all the altars without interruption from the first hour of the day until noon.

Before entering the church, one must climb the hill by following the sacred way, which is paved, very steep, and about two hundred meters long, but divided by fifty-two bands of cut stone that serve as stations for the pilgrims' prayers. Towards the middle of the ascent, an inexhaustible fountain performs miraculous healings. Above it extends a terrace, pleasant for those who wish to rest and enjoy a magnificent view. Upon arrival, a porch deserves attention. It was built in 1488, as indicated by the date engraved on the stone and the style of its architecture. From each of its corners, bundles of small columns rise gracefully, disappearing into the keystone of an ogival vault. The temple door has two leaves. In the middle, on a console, rests the life-sized stone statue of the Virgin. A man of the people detached the head in 1793 and threw it into the well; it was found and put back in place.

As soon as one cro sses 1793 Period during which the saint's relics were hidden and lost. the threshold, one is struck by the vast proportions of the nave, which takes the form of a Latin cross, oriented from East to West, forty meters long by seventeen meters wide. Formerly, its walls were flanked by pilasters, capitals, and cornices that masked the true stone architecture of the late 14th century. The small columns of the nave have been restored and painted as they were in the past; the vault, built in 1783 by Bernard Rippa, an Italian artist, is now decorated; all around, medallions represent the litanies of the Blessed Virgin through alle gories; the r Bernard Rippa Italian artist who constructed the church vault in 1783. elief paintings of the Stations of the Cross have received coloring that enhances their effect and harmonizes them with the rest of the church. The pulpit, built into the wall like a lantern in ancient courthouses, has been refurbished and embellished with paintings and stained glass. All these works give the whole a great deal of elegance.

A most edifying practice, unique to this pilgrimage and capable of moving even the witnesses to tears, is the ascent of the slope or sacred way. On September 7th, around eight o'clock in the evening, a multitude of pilgrims, of all ages and both sexes, reciting prayers, drag themselves painfully on their knees toward the church. At the entrance to the path, like a memory of the road to Calvary, stands a cross at the foot of which they come to reflect and arm themselves with the strength necessary to accomplish this painful journey. Halfway up the slope, they stop at the m iraculous fountain w fontaine miraculeuse Spring located on the hill, renowned for its miraculous healings. hich, in every season, flows only drop by drop and heals a thousand kinds of ailments, according to the inscription engraved in gold letters on the marble: *Mille malis species Virgo levavit aquâ*. There, they perform their ablutions and draw the marvelous water for relatives and friends whom old age or infirmities keep at home. Animated by a new confidence, they resume with more courage the path that leads them to the blessed image. Their vows are finally fulfilled; they are now under the gaze, so gentle, of this good Mother. Like the child to whom maternal caresses make one forget the cause of one's pains, they too, in the outpourings of love and gratitude, no longer think of the fatigue of this arduous ascent. During this night and those preceding the following Sundays, the church, adorned as on a day of solemnity, remains open to the faithful whose piety would consider time given to sleep as lost. Some, recollected near the Statue, pray devoutly; others make the Stations of the Cross, while choirs of young girls sing hymns and canticles alternately to the glory of Mary.

On September 8th, the spectacle is even more magnificent; the crowd arrives more numerous and more animated. It is a flood of people emerging from all the roads and paths. When, from the top of the plateau, one contemplates these lines in the countryside, they look like ribbons of a thousand colors standing out against the greenery of the fields. Meanwhile, a much more touching ceremony takes place inside the church. At the end of Holy Mass, the faithful crowd around the niche to kiss the venerated Statue. The rich and the poor compete in offerings. The gifts usually consist of gold and silver coins. These touching scenes do not occur only on the day of the Nativity of the Virgin, on Sundays, and throughout the month of September; they are renewed, with less splendor perhaps, throughout the course of the year. Frequently, entire families from the city, from villages, and even from neighboring dioceses come accompanied by a priest to solicit the protection of Our Lady.

From the moment of his promotion to the bish opric of Carcassonne Mgr de la Bouillerie Bishop of Carcassonne who promoted the pilgrimage and organized the coronation of the statue. , Mgr de la Bouillerie manifested a particular devotion to this pilgrimage. By fixing the feast of perpetual adoration on September 13th, and by presiding each year, assisted by his principal ministers, over this august ceremony, His Grace enhanced its splendor. This was, however, only the prelude to his favors. There exist in Christendom very few churches consecrated to the Virgin whose image is crowned by virtue of a concession from the Holy See. One cites, in Paris, Notre-Dame des Victoires; in Rome, Saint Mary Major; in Italy, Our Lady of Loreto. In 1862 , the Holy Saint-Père Pope who canonized Josaphat in 1867. Father, yielding to the filial piety of the Bishop of Carcassonne during his stay in Rome, granted this privilege to Notre-Dame de Marceille. It was His Lordship himself who offered the crown, who, through a pastoral letter full of unction, invited the faithful to the ceremony, and who presided over it on September 14th of the same year, in the midst of his chapter, a numerous clergy, representatives of religious communities, the magistrates of the city, and a great multitude of the faithful.

Excerpt from a Notice on the pilgrimage of Notre-Dame de Marceille; Limoux, 1864.