Une Minute avec Marie
Faire connaître et aimer Marie
In 1924, the bishops of China consecrated their country to the Virgin Mary, and an impressive statue of Our Lady holding up the Infant Jesus at arm's length above her head was placed atop the basilica of the Sheshan sanctuary, in the diocese of Shanghai.
The almost four-meter-high bronze statue was destroyed during the Cultural Revolution (1966-1976), then restored and repositioned at the top of the basilica tower in 2000. The statue currently venerated by the faithful is a silver-plated statue of Our Lady of Victories.
Pope John Paul II spoke at length about the Sheshan sanctuary during the Angelus on Sunday August 21, 1988, and he did so by conveying to the whole world the attention of the Chinese to the harmony of nature, and the beauty of the surroundings. He was no doubt also inspired by the tenderness with which the Virgin Mary looks upon this place.