Rediscovery of a Marian shrine

Historian Etienne Couriol discovered in a storage bin of the multimedia library in Roanne, France, a manuscript of 1799 describing miraculous healings that occurred in Hoste (Lorraine, France):

 "A young child, who had been deaf and dumb since birth, was keeping his flock in a field one day, when he came near a spring to drink. As soon as he had drunk the water, he regained his sense of hearing and the ability to speak. When a woman who had had total paralysis for years heard about this miracle, she asked to be brought to the place where it had just taken place. Moved by her ardent prayers, the Virgin granted her healing."

These miracles of 1799 are well known to local historians, and the manuscript found recently should be of interest to many! Just after the French Revolution, anti-clericalism was rampant and the cantonal administration intervened militarily to stop pilgrims from going to Hoste.

But the fountain of Hoste has remained very popular among Christians. Restored in 2010, the chapel awaits pilgrims!

Stephane Mazzucotelli