Our Lady of
Montligeon
Montligeon,
France
Begun by a humble parish priest as a simple project to remind people of the value of praying for the dead, today the Basilica of Montligeon stands as the world center of prayer for the poor souls. A beautiful image of Our lady known as Our Lady of Montligeon greets pilgrims with a message of love and hope.
The basilica stands among the hills of the French province of Perche in Normandy. Situated on a large terrace, it is reached by ascending two great flights of steps. One leads up to the square in front of the basilica; the other leads to a large French-style garden. At the base of the terrace, an area is maintained for processions when large groups of pilgrims arrive.
In l878, Father Paul Buguet was appointed as parish priest for La Chapelle-Montligeon. His constant thought was to pray and to ask for prayers for all the departed souls, especially the most abandoned ones.
At the age of 35, Father Paul came to a sleepy little village with a poor parish church. The people, too, were poor. The majority of the members of the small population, fewer than 500, were farmers, woodcutters, carpenters and clog-makers. Father Paul could readily identify with his parishioners as he was the son of a clog maker and knew the taste of poverty in his youth. An active man, Father Paul began by starting to restore the parish and by having a fountain built in the square to provide drinking water for the village.
Two years before his arrival at Montligeon, Father Paul had been greatly affected by the deaths of his brother and two of his young nieces. During his meditations on their untimely deaths, he imagined the idea of creating a work for the deliverance of the neglected souls in Purgatory. He wrote in his diary, “I must work to deliver these souls (in Purgatory).” This work was to become a reality at La Chapelle-Montligeon. The expiatory work would have a twin goal: it would provide prayers for those in Purgatory, especially the most neglected ones who had no one to pray for them, and it would also provide, with the help of these souls, work for his impoverished people in able to help them make a living.. In 1884, he obtained approval for an Association for the deliverance of the souls in Purgatory from Mgr. Trégaro, Bishop of Séez. He then began begging from parish to parish to build up his work.
In 1887, Father Paul began a printing apostolate to publish magazines about the work for the poor souls. The first two bulletins had been published in 1885 and were well received. Soon the magazine became a quarterly, then a monthly, and its popularity began to grow. Orders began to come from all parts of Europe, and translations to other languages were needed. From the beginning in a small room in the rectory, the apostolate grew. More presses were purchased and the printing group obtained a legal status. Several old houses were bought to make workshops as the printing work grew.
The same year, the first solemn pilgrimage, organized to pray for the holy souls, was made to Our lady of Montligeon in the parish church. Soon, pilgrims began to flood in from all over France and from other parts of Europe, and the fame of Our Lady of Montligeon began to spread rapidly throughout the world. A second pilgrimage was held the following year, and a group of Sisters of Longny came to become collaborators in Father Buguet’s work, directing the secretariat and helping with the workshops for women that Father Paul had established.
In 1890, the Bulletin carried a request to raise a chapel at Montligeon where requests “from the entire universe will be united every day, rising together to God.”Gifts from throughout the world began to flow in, and on September 22, 1894, the first spade of soil was turned for the building. Father Paul extended his travels and went to Rome in 1893 where he received encouragement for his work from Pope Leo XIII. The Pope established the Association of Our Lady of Montligeon as an archcnfraternity. Then, as a missionary for the souls in Purgatory, he traveled throughout Europe and to the United States and Canada during the late 1890s.
In 1891, a statue of Our Lady of Deliverance, especially destined for Montligeon, was made by Steüer.
The foundation stone of the future basilica of Our Lady of Montligeon was blessed in 1896. Constructed in neo-Gothic style, the chancel and main aisle of the basilica were finished in 1905 and the new church was blessed and the first Mass was celebrated there during the annual pilgrimage in June of 1911.
In 1918, worn out with his travels, Father Buguet died in Rome. His body was brought back to Montligeon in 1921, and rests in the crypt under the Basilica.
 In 1919, the statue of Our Lady of Montligeon by the Italian sculptor Tadolini was erected at the basilica. Today, this sculptural group dominates the chancel of the Basilica. Sculpted from Carrara marble, it weighs 16 tons. The design was chosen by Father Buguet before his death.
There are four people shown in the sculpture. The image of the Blessed Virgin is portrayed presenting the Child Jesus to two young women at her feet. The woman on the left is surrounded with flames, a soul in purgatory burning with the desire to see God, awaiting His Mercy. On the right, a woman with the same features receives a crown from Christ. The Virgin gazes at the soul on the left with maternal gentleness and holds out to her a helping hand. Our lady does not abandon her suffering children; instead she reaches out to draw them to her Son.
The images of Mary and the Child Jesus are crowned with brilliant diadems studded with precious stones. The artist had already made the chandeliers in the basilica. He became a priest and made the crowns for the 1935 celebrations.
A close up of the crown of the infant shows a dove flanked by the alpha and omega symbols. The virgin’s
crown has an emblem of Mary on the front and is studded with stars.
In the years since the death of the humble priest whose vision began the work, prayer groups, known as the Fraternity of Montligeon, were formed, and today Masses are celebrated throughout the world for the intentions confided to Our Lady of Montligeon. These associates of the Work of Our Lady of Montligeon undertake to pray for the dead, especially those most forgotten, and they invoke Our Lady, the Deliverer, on their behalf. Their prayers are offered in union with all the pilgrims who pass through the Shrine in the course of the year.
In 1983, I was injured by a cab, which left my left leg damaged. Medical doctors told me that my leg was permanently damaged and I would have periodic bouts of painful swelling and tenderness of the leg for the rest of my life. In 1993, I decided to pay a visit to my best friend, Our Lady, and visited
Medjugorje. I expected to pray, to experience closeness with Our Lady, and to return home. My best friend had other plans. During an apparition, I saw my best friend. I knew it was Our Lady. Her hands were extended out to all and light flashed around her. I fell to my knees in awesome wonder. My Rosary turned to gold and my leg, my permanently damaged leg, was healed on the mountain. When I returned home, I realized my best friend had other surprises for me. I found myself reading about the Souls in Purgatory and their plight. They were in desperate need of our Masses, Rosaries, Indulgences, and almsgiving. I took it upon myself to become an Ambassador for our Holy Heroes. The holy souls cannot help themselves. Their greatest pain is the loss of the sight of God. Only we can get them out. And in return, the holy souls pray and intercede for us all the days of our lives until we are safely home in Heaven. They become our friends forever! What a gift! Our Lady of Montligeon is the Mother of the Souls in Purgatory. She intercedes for the holy souls to release them from Purgatory. Our Lord never says no to His Mother! Our Lady of
Montligeon, pray for our Dead!
- Susan Tassone -
Susan Tassone is the author of The Stations of the Cross for the Holy Souls in Purgatory, Praying in the Presence of Our Lord for the Holy Souls, The Rosary for the Souls in Purgatory, and 30 Days Devotions for the Holy Souls.
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