John Paul II: Marian shrines are like "oases in the desert"

According to Bishop Dominique Le Tourneau, professor of canon law and author of a Guide of Marian Shrines, there are 2900 shrines dedicated to the Virgin Mary in France. "There are some in every department of the country. Very few have less than ten," he said in an interview with Aleteia. "But several have over a hundred: 140 in Finistère, 119 in the Côtes-d'Armor, 110 in the Nord department, 103 in Haute-Corse, etc...". 

No other country can boast as many shrines as France. "No other country has been so often visited by Mary," says Le Tourneau.

"The shrines dedicated to the Virgin Mary, scattered all over the world, are like millennia-old milestones built to mark the time of our earthly journey," John Paul II aptly said in a speech in 1982. "They allow us to take a moment's rest during the journey and to find joy and safety for the road, as well as the strength to go forward; they are like the oases that appear in the desert to offer water and shade."

Aleteïa