From King Louis XIII to the Pilgrim Virgins of Baillet-en-France

A statue called Notre Dame de France (Our Lady of France) overlooked the Pontifical Pavilion at the 1937 Universal Exhibition in Paris, France. Before the demolition of the pavilion in 1938, the Archbishop of Paris, Cardinal Verdier, had expressed the wish that the statue of Our Lady be erected on a hill near Paris.

As a matter fact the small town of Baillet-en-France—at the crossroads of many important communication routes near Paris—received the monumental statue. On October 15, 1988, Cardinal Lustiger, accompanied by seven bishops, including the apostolic nuncio and 52,000 faithful from all over the country, presided over the solemn blessing ceremony. This was one of the most important Marian manifestations of the end of the 20th century.

Thus, the wish of Cardinal Verdier was fulfilled exactly 50 years after he had expressed it (1938-1988: the duration of a jubilee). The statue’s installation coincided with the Marian year proclaimed by Saint John Paul II, and the celebration of the 350th anniversary of the vow of King Louis XIII, who entrusted France to the Virgin Mary in 1638, making her Queen of that country.

In order to give a concrete expression to this commitment, the pilgrimage of the Virgin Mary was launched by Notre Dame de France Association. Statues and icons of Our Lady, departing from Baillet, traveled to multiple destinations around the world, including the Holy Land.

Notre Dame de France