Our Lady Of Angels Of Toulouse
Country : France
Year : 1212
In The Year 1212, Three Merchants From Angers Were Passing Through The Forest Of Bondy In France, When They Were Set Upon By Robbers. After Being Robbed, They Were Bound To Trees And Left To Their Fate.
Since It Was A Wild And Lonely Place, Known To Be The Haunt Of Robbers, Their Chances Of Rescue Were Few. They Prayed Earnestly To God And Our Lady, And, After A Day And A Night, Angels Came And Released Them.
Near The Place Where They Had Been Bound, The Men Discovered A Spring, Which They Considered To Be Miraculous. They Determined To Set Up A Shrine Of Our Lady On The Spot, In Thanksgiving For Their Deliverance
The First Statue They Put Into The Shrine Was Intended Only To Be Used Temporarily Until Something Better Could Be Made Or Purchased. However, Almost Immediately There Began A Stream Of Miraculous Cures Among Those Who Prayed Before The Rough Little Statue.
The Same Statue Remains Today, But It Has Been Richly Clothed And Decked With Jewels. In 1260 The Little Chapel Was Enlarged To Enclose Also The Spring. In 1663 The Chapel Was Rebuilt And Redecorated, And So Remained Until The French Revolution, When It Was Destroyed. However, It Was Rebuilt In 1808.
One Of The Many Thank-Offerings In The Chapel Is A Ship Suspended Above The Altar, As An Ex-Voto From A Group Of Sailors Who Were Saved From Shipwreck At The Intercession Of Our Lady Of The Angels.