Introduction
Introduction
The Basilica of Notre-Dame-des-Miracles of Mayenne is a Catholic basilica located in Mayenne and is a composite building from the 12TH , 16TH and 19TH centuries. The basilica is located in the city center of Mayenne , in the department of Mayenne , on the right bank and bordering the river called Mayenne .
In a small corner of France, the basilica of Notre-Dame-des-Miracles in Mayenne stands out with its centuries-old history. Born in the distant year 1110 as a small oratory dedicated to Saint Anne, this church has undergone numerous changes over the centuries, but still retains some original elements such as the west facade. Its history is marked by significant events, such as the departure ceremony for a troop of crusaders to the Holy Land in 1125 and the trials endured during the religious wars, when it was plundered several times.
During the French Revolution, it even changed its appearance to become a temple of Reason before returning to Christian worship. The basilica, damaged by bombings in 1944, still preserves its majestic facade, nave pillars, and arches. Inside, a mix of architectural styles tells the story of various eras, from the wonderful Gothic nave to the 17th-century bas-côtés. If you ever happen to pass through this area, its history and architecture will surely fascinate you.
The original building was built in 1110 to replace a small oratory dedicated to Saint Anne . It is mentioned for the first time in 1124 in a charter of Juhel I of Mayenne under the name of “mother church Sainte-Marie.”, Parochia Sanctse Mariae matris ecclesiae .
A memoir from 1774 describes it as follows: “The church built before the 12TH century consisted of only three vaults for the nave and one for the choir with a cul-de-four, and two other vaults forming a cross. The solid pillars which supported these vaults were partly enclosed in the side walls and served as a waiting area to complete the wings. Between these pillars were placed the painted windows which were admired by connoisseurs and which were transferred under each newly built vault at. “
In the first centuries of the parish, the lords of Mayenne were not interested in the church; it was not their work. A fire seems to have destroyed the church in the middle of the 11th century , during the capture of the Château de Mayenne by William the Conqueror . After a long reconstruction lasting 50 years, it was completed around 1100.
Around 1119 , the church was the property of Robert Le Paon , a priest of the diocese of Le Mans, which at the time depended on Mayenne. It is described as being “in the shape of a cross, composed only of a nave, chancel and vaults.” He partially handed it over to Bishop Hildebert de Lavardin , who invested Fromond, a monk of the abbey of Marmoutier and prior of the parish of Saint-Martin de Mayenne, with it. The other part was given to a priest named Jean a . The latter was a husband and father of a family , as could be, for example, Orscand de Cornouaille , or Sigefroi de Bellême
A ceremony would have taken place on April 10, 1158, in the church, on the occasion of the departure for the Holy Land of a troop of crusaders that Geoffroy, son of Juhel II of Mayenne , led in his wake. This ceremony was the subject of a historical controversy at the end of the 19th century . The conclusion of this controversy brought by Abbot Angot resulted in a historical deception established by Jean-Baptiste de Goué , in the 17TH century .
Wars of Religion
During the Wars of Religion , the church was pillaged four times by Protestants b 1 and the inhabitants of the parish who had deposited their belongings there to keep them safe, lost everything they owned
The Bell Tower
The bell tower was originally on the gable 4 like that of Saint-Baudelle . When the nave was rebuilt in 1535, the new bell tower was built on the crossing . It was knocked down by lightning on April 28, 1554. It was then rebuilt. The bell tower was knocked down by a storm onJuly 3, 1611. The first stone of the side aisles was laid in 1635 by the vicar Jean Le Gros.
French Revolution
During the French Revolution , the priest Louis-René Lefebvre de Cheverus refused to take the oath , as did his nephew, vicar of the parish, the future cardinal Jean Lefebvre de Cheverus . The church became a temple of Reason then a ten-day temple at and the revolutionary commission sat there at. Worship was restored on May 16, 1803.
Contemporary Era
The church was erected as a minor basilica by apostolic brief of May 15, 1900 . The church was damaged by the bombings of 1944 which destroyed the stained glass windows, vaults and furniture.
Architecture of Our Lady of Miracles of Mayenne in France
The forecourt of the basilica has a monumental staircase overlooked by a statue of Joan of Arc , which was inaugurated onOctober 18, 1896.
Interior
From the original building, the current church has preserved the central part of its façade, the pillars and arcades of the nave and Merovingian tombstones .
The vaults of the nave and transept , which are 14 metres high, are from the 15th century , while the side aisles are additions from the mid- 17th century . Because of the irregularity of the nave, the pillars of the side aisles are heterogeneous and arranged without regularity. The choir, which is 22 metres high, was built between 1864 and 1890. Inspired by that of Le Mans Cathedral , it is disproportionate to the rest of the church, and a total reconstruction of the rest of the building had been considered.
Under the nave, the crypt contains four chapels.
Stained Glass Windows
The original stained glass windows did not survive the bombing ofJune 9, 1944. Among these were notably three stained glass windows representing the prophet Jeremiah , King Solomon and the Coronation of the Virgin , works by Simon and David de Heemsce , stained glass painters established in Moulay from 1543 to 1567. David de Heemsce painted the scene of the Annunciation on the decoration of a cassette of the altar of the Virgin Mary in the church of Notre-Dame de Mayenne in 1557. For the same church, the same year, Simon carried out repairs on the stained glass windows of the Resurrection 8. He then carried out other works for the same church in 1560, 1564 , and 1567 .
Stained glass windows painted by master glassmaker Louis-Charles-Marie Champigneulle were also present. After the bombing of 1944, master glassmaker Maurice Rocher designed the new stained glass windows, which were made by the Barillet workshops in Paris and installed between 1952 and 1962 . They represent the mysteries of the life of Christ and the Virgin Mary in a triptych in the apse , the Assumption of Mary , Saint Bernard of Clairvaux , Saint Pius X and Saint Vincent de Paul . At the foot of the stained glass window dedicated to Saint Bernard are represented the Abbey of Fontaine-Daniel and the Abbey of Clermont .
Our Lady of Miracles
The church contains a statuette representing Our Lady of Miracles. Dating from the 16TH century , it was given to the town’s sisters around 1630 by an anonymous horseman with the message “Weep, but hope” . First kept in the Calvairiennes chapel where donations helped the nuns b , it was kept by the Lemesnager family during the Revolution and then given to the church in 1897 . It was the object of great devotion until the 20th Century.
Feast Day
Feast Day : 9 December
Monday, December 9 , Feast of the Immaculate Conception . River procession: Our Lady of Miracles will go up the river on a boat (from the viaduct to the tourist office) then will be carried on a stretcher (from the tourist office to the basilica). Meet at 7:30 p.m. under the viaduct (left bank) for the torchlight procession then at 8:30 p.m. for the mass . A box will be available at the entrance to the basilica to leave your prayer intention or your thanks addressed to Mary. The box will be placed at the foot of the original statue of Our Lady of Miracles at the time of the universal prayer.
Church Mass Timing
Monday : 09.00 AM
Tuesday : 08.30 AM
Wednesday : 08.30 AM
Thursday : 08.30 AM
Friday : 07.30 AM
Saturday : 07.30 AM
Sunday : 10.30 AM
Church Opening Time:
Open 24/7
Contact Info
Address :
Parvis Notre Dame, 53100 Mayenne, France
Phone: +33 2 43 04 14 41
Accommodations
Connectivities
Airport
Aéroport Rennes Bretagne to Basilica of Our Lady of Miracles in Mayenne Distance 1 hr 11 min (105.2 km) via N157.
Railway
Laval Raileay Station to Basilica of Our Lady of Miracles in Mayenne Distance in 29 min (30.5 km) via D962.
