December 15

Vierge Noire, Le Havre, Seine-Maritime, Normandy, France

When Prussian troops threatened Le Havre in 1870, a group of mothers promised to erect a statue of Notre-Dame de Grace if the city were spared. It was, and the 20' statue, made of zinc-tin alloy with a graphite finish, was dedicated June 27, 1876, on the grounds of the Abbaye de Graville overlooking the town. After 100 years, it had deteriorated irreparably. An exact copy of the Black Virgin was crafted of oxidized copper alloy and dedicated December 15, 1985. (Information from  www.ville-lehavre.fr. Picture posted by benead on "La Normandie en photos," May 18, 2006, lanormandie.canalblog.com.)   

Also commemorated this date:

bulletThe Blessed Virgin Mary, Queen of the Franciscan Order
bulletMamita, Cotoca, Santa Cruz, Andrés Ibáñez, Bolivia. First chapel blessed, 1799. Fiesta December 8.
bulletNuestra Señora de Monguí, Monguí, Boyacá, Colombia
bulletInmaculada Concepción, Concepción de Ataco, Ahuachapán, El Salvador
bulletNotre-Dame des Neiges, Saint-Pierre-de-Colombier, Ardèche, Rhône-Alpes, France. Monumental statue blessed, 1946. Fête nearest Saturday.
bulletVirgen de la Puerta, Otuzco, La Libertad, Peru
bulletMatka Boska Częstochowska, Cracow, Poland. Copy of Black Madonna icon in Cracow's Basilica of the Assumption crowned, 1968.
bulletSanta Maria Assunta, Bigorio, Ticino, Switzerland. Chapel consecrated, 1577.
 

Where We Walked ~~~ Mary Ann Daly