The Statue of Our Lady of Montligeon : a glimpse of the invisible

On entering the Basilica of Montligeon, the visitor discovers the statue of Our Lady dominating the chancel. Cut from a mighty block of Carrara marble, weighing 16 tonnes, and chosen by Mgr. Buguet himself at the beginning of the XXth century, it is the work of the Italian sculptor, Tadolini. A great number of pilgrims have come to kneel before this statue and lay down their burdens there.

In fact, this statue is composed of four people : the Blessed Virgin is presenting the Child Jesus to two young women at her feet.

• The woman on the left looks at Mary in supplication. From the flames surrounding her, a soul in Purgatory can be recognised, burning with the desire to see God, face to face. She has the attitude of the Psalmist who sings : “As the eyes of the slave are on the hand of his master, and the eyes of the maidservant on the hand of her mistress, so our eyes are raised to the Lord, awaiting His mercy” (Ps. 123).

• The Blessed Virgin looks at her with maternal gentleness and holds out to her a helping hand. Mary, in her glory, does not abandon her suffering children. She takes them by the hand and draws them to her only Son. Furthermore, to her heart she presses Jesus, represented by the features of a chubby-cheeked little baby : “ I tell you truly : whoever does not welcome the kingdom of God like a little child will never enter it” (Lk. 18:17).

• The woman on the right receives from Christ “the crown which does not wither” (1Cor. 9:25), “the crown of life” (Ap. 2:10).
“You are glorified in your saints, for their glory is the crowning of your gifts”, we read in the Preface of the Saints. This young woman has fought the good fight right to the end; she “has finished the course; she has kept the faith”.
Curiously, the two women look alike : Are they sisters ? We are permitted to think that they both represent the same person but in two different states. The one on the left seems to have been told : “See to what happiness you have been called : the Lord is holding out His hand to you, to welcome you into His Kingdom”. The one on the right is reminded that only the Lord can give a share in eternal happiness : “Remember that the Lord loved you in spite of your failings”. With the angels and saints she can then repeat in an eternal thanksgiving : “Bless the Lord, my soul, let my whole being bless His holy name ! Bless the Lord, my soul, do not forget all His blessings ! For He forgives all your offences and cures you of every illness; He brings you back to life from the tomb and crowns you with love and tenderness; He fills your old age with good things” (Ps. 103).

The statues of both the Virgin and the Child Jesus are crowned with brilliant diadems of precious stones, the work of the artist Jourdain. He was already the creator of the lighting we can see throughout the length of the Nave and Chancel. These chandeliers date from 1925. Engraved in gilded bronze, they are decorated with symbols of Our Lady. Having meanwhile become a priest, the artist created these crowns for the 1935 celebrations.

The new ALTAR dates from 1971. It is the work of Monsieur HESSE, the architect-designer of Rouen. Almost square in design, with the front slightly trapezoid, strewn with pieces of enamel-work, the altar allows for the recently restored liturgical concelebrations.
The ambo, the place where the Word of God is read, is a lectern of bronze and iron-work, and, like the chandelier, the whole thing is particularly successful. The latter is in the shape of a crown above the altar, with a series of little brass projectors.

At the rear, discretely covered by the enclosure of the sanctuary, is the HIGH ALTAR, made from Carrara marble (18 tonnes). embellished with very figurative, artistic sculptures. Angels and saints can be seen there, as well as scenes from the Gospels and the life of Our Lady. The surrounding benches, like the throne and the organ cabinet, date from the same period.

By the main door is the statue of Christ the Redeemer and Doctor, holding the book of Life. Above, the tympanum is filled with a bas-relief divided into two scenes : the Ascension and the Descent into Limbo, the work of the sculptor, Biron.