OUR LADY OF FRANCE

Feast Day - May 15, 1860

There is a massive volcanic Rock in LePuy, France called Rocher Corneille (Cornelius Rock). It is about 2,500 feet above sea level.

There is a gigantic metal statue of the Blessed Virgin Mary and the Child Jesus, on top of this huge Rock, made in 1860 - the second largest statue in the whole wide world, after the Statue of Liberty, which was also made in France. The statue of the Blessed Virgin Mary, which is approximately fifty-five feet tall, stands upon a globe; above her head is a crown of twelve stars, and her feet crushing a serpent, the Infant Jesus sitting on her right arm, and His right hand raised in blessing of the whole country.

This project was initiated in 1847 with an intention to construct a religious monument to help people recognize the area of Puy-en-Velay. To build a befitting Statue of the Blessed Virgin Mary and her Divine Son, a competition was held having very specific requirements, such as “the Child Jesus is to be depicted blessing the city of Puy without hiding the face of His Mother.” In all, fifty five artists came with their designs and J. Bonnassieux's statue was selected.

The statue was cast from metal obtained by melting down more than two hundred cannons donated by Napoleon III – cannons the French had captured from the Russians at Sebastopol during the Crimean War. Donations to pay for the construction were collected from all over France. Three years later, the 105 main parts of the statue and the accompanying 900 smaller pieces were transported to Puy and hoisted into position to erect the statue of Our Lady of France. Once completed, it weighed 835 tons, with 110 tons for the statue, 680 tons for the granite pedestal to support it, and 45 tons for the coating that protects the statue.

On this majestic Rock, the Blessed Virgin is honoured under the title, “Our Lady of France.” It stands on the road through the shrine of Our Lady of Thorns.

All crusaders passed this on their way to the Holy Land on pilgrimage to rescue the Holy Places from the hands of the infidel. There was scarcely a knight who did not go to bid farewell to Our Lady of Puy and ask her to care for his dear ones, should he not return.