Une Minute avec Marie
Faire connaître et aimer Marie
The town of Myans in Savoie, France, is primarily characterized by its Marian shrine dedicated to Our Lady of the Nativity. The shrine is located a few kilometers from Chambéry, at the foot of the famous Chartreuse Mountain range.
The first written mention Our Lady of Myans dates back to the 11th century. But it was in the 13th century that the shrine took on considerable importance following the deadly landslide on November 24, 1248. The collapse of Mont Granier covered all the villages on its path with 500 million m3 of earth and rock. Five villages were wiped off the map and there were thousands of casualties. This was the worst natural disaster in the history of the Alps. It created what is now called the Abymes of Myans.
Surprisingly, the small countryside chapel housing a statue of a Black Madonna was spared. The devastation stopped a little short of its entrance. The small group of Benedictine monks of Saint Andrew claimed that their lives were saved thanks to the protection of the Black Madonna. The people of the time saw this as a sign from Heaven that spontaneously gave birth to a pilgrimage.