The Virgin Mary answers the wish of the Sultan's daughter

At the beginning of the 12th century, three Christian knights of the order of Saint John of Jerusalem left France for the crusade. They were captured and brought to Cairo, where the sultan attempted to convert them to Islam. Since they refused, the sultan sent his daughter Ismeria to convince them.

When the young Muslim girl met the prisoners, she was touched by their faith, and asked to see an image of the Virgin. Angels brought them a black wooden statue, representing the Mother of Jesus. The following night, a fascinated Ismeria released the knights and escaped with them, wishing to convert to the Christian faith, a decision that was whispered in her ear during the night by the Blessed Virgin, according to tradition.

By a miracle, the knights found themselves far from Egypt, in Liesse, a city in the north of France where one of the knights was a lord. This was the starting point for the construction of the current Basilica of Our Lady of Liesse, which the Virgin had shown to Ismeria in her sleep!

Despite the absence of the original Black Madonna, many pilgrims still come to pray in front of the replica statue of Our Lady of Liesse, especially for requests of "liberation" or more concrete wishes such as the arrival of a child. These requests are explained by a long list of miracles that the Black Madonna has granted through the centuries.

Le Jour du Seigneur