Notre-Dame of the Ardents

In the year 1105, a minstrel from Tienen, Flemish Brabant named Itier, had a marvelous vision of a beautiful lady all dressed in white. She appeared to him in dream and invited him to go to the town of Arras and see a certain Father Lambert. She asked him to convince the monk to meditate in prayer and entrust himself to the Lady who would give him a candle during the Vigil of Pentecost, and water, purified by drops of wax from this candle, would heal the ailing. The beautiful Lady asked Itier to become partners with another minstrel named Norman, from Saint-Pol. However, the two men shared a mortal hatred for each other. Jealousy and hatred had been aroused during tournaments in the past. In fact, Norman had actually killed Itier’s brother! Therefore, deep enmity had grown between these two minstrels and new bloodshed was feared if they were ever to be found together again in the same place. The beautiful Lady appeared to Norman as well and asked him the same thing as Itier. Both minstrels found themselves standing before Father Lambert. This reconciliation was considered to be a gift from God through Our Lady. Itier, Norman and Lambert became partners in this wonderful story, where the healing of hearts and bodies was closely associated. The Blessed Virgin appeared in the cathedral and she walked down the center aisle carrying a candle, which she gave to Father Lambert. Before long the miraculous candle came to be known as the Holy Candle or the “Joyel”. Just a few drops of its wax in some water gave it marvelous healing virtues, stopping the epidemic of the “Ardents Disease” - a disease caused by rye ergot - which had enormously devastated the area.