Our Lady of Pontmain (France) in Lebanon

Pontmain is a small French village where the Virgin Mary appeared to some children with a message of prayer and repentance in 1871, when the Prussian army had invaded France. The event took place a few days before the armistice and the departure of the Prussian occupying troops.

Beshwet is a small Lebanese village where the Virgin Mary appeared in 2004 and continues to bring signs and healings. The apparition took place very shortly before the peaceful withdrawal of the Syrian occupation troops.

In addition to the parallel of historical circumstances, the statue of Our Lady of Beshwet is a replica of the statue of the Virgin of Pontmain. This is why in January 2005, the rector of the shrine of Pontmain, Father Claude Poussier, traveled to Lebanon to recognize the special relationship between the two shrines, and to spend time praying in the chapel of Beshwet.

The message delivered by the Virgin in 1871 in Pontmain was translated into Arabic and inscribed on a long banner fixed at the entrance of the Beshwet church: "But pray, my children, God will hear you in a short time; My Son lets himself be touched."

But why did the Lebanese turn to Our Lady of Pontmain? In 1880 the people of the village of Beshwet wanted a special statue of the Virgin, and a Jesuit priest obtained a copy of Our Lady of Pontmain for them. Our Lady of Beshwet wears a gold crown and a blue star-spangled robe. She carries a crucifix and a rosary in her hand. Mary’s benevolent presence is shown by the miracles accorded to her petitioners, particularly in recent years. In fact invalids of every walk in life, even non-Christians and foreigners, have been cured after addressing themselves to her and have come on pilgrimage to thank her.  

Adapted from an article by Francoise Breynaert (Marie de Nazareth)

And excerpts from Discover Lebanon