Liesse-Notre-Dame

Last updated • 4 min readFrom Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia

Liesse-Notre-Dame
FR-02-Liesse-Notre-Dame1.JPG
The church of Liesse-Notre-Dame
Blason Liesse-Notre-Dame.svg
Location of Liesse-Notre-Dame
Liesse-Notre-Dame
France location map-Regions and departements-2016.svg
Red pog.svg
Liesse-Notre-Dame
Hauts-de-France region location map.svg
Red pog.svg
Liesse-Notre-Dame
Coordinates: 49°36′37″N3°48′18″E / 49.6103°N 3.805°E / 49.6103; 3.805
Country France
Region Hauts-de-France
Department Aisne
Arrondissement Laon
Canton Villeneuve-sur-Aisne
Intercommunality Champagne Picarde
Government
  Mayor (20202026) Philippe Calmus [1]
Area
1
9.96 km2 (3.85 sq mi)
Population
 (2021) [2]
1,268
  Density130/km2 (330/sq mi)
Time zone UTC+01:00 (CET)
  Summer (DST) UTC+02:00 (CEST)
INSEE/Postal code
02430 /02350
Elevation68–87 m (223–285 ft)
(avg. 73 m or 240 ft)
1 French Land Register data, which excludes lakes, ponds, glaciers > 1 km2 (0.386 sq mi or 247 acres) and river estuaries.

Liesse-Notre-Dame (French pronunciation: [ljɛsnɔtʁdam] , before 1988: Liesse) [3] is a commune in the Aisne department in Hauts-de-France in northern France. In the Middle Ages, the village near Laon developed around the cult of the Black Virgin, known as Notre-Dame de Liesse (Our Lady of Liesse, which happens to be french for Joy/Jubilation). Pope Pius IX granted the Marian image a decree of canonical coronation on 18 August 1857.

Contents

Basilica of Notre-Dame de Liesse

The basilica was built during the late thirteenth and early fourteenth centuries. According to ancient documents, the first shrine of Liesse was built by the pious Bartholomew of Vir, with the stones left over from the construction of Laon Cathedral. The portal and façade were constructed in the fifteenth century by Bishop of Laon, Charles of Luxembourg (1473-1519), son of the Count of Saint Pol, Constable of France under Louis XI. Formerly one of the portal stones were engraved with the inscription:

As a monument of their piety and their gratitude to the Virgin Mary, this holy temple was built in 1134 by the knights of Eppes. It was rebuilt in 1384 and enlarged in 1480."

In November 1568, the troops of the Protestant Prince of Orange looted the village and its church, and having broken the statues and removed the bells, set fire to the church, reducing the bell tower to ashes. Restoration commenced nine years later.

At a young age, Madame Acarie was brought to Liesse in 1572 by her parents, as was the child Henri Boudon. It was a favorite shrine of Princess Henrietta Maria of France. [4] Jean-Jacques Olier visited in 1632. In 1686, after Trinity Sunday, 1686, after Jean-Baptiste de La Salle and the Brothers took their first vows, they made a pilgrimage to Liesse, walking all through the night, and again pronounced the vows before at the statue of Our Lady of Joy above the main altar). The church is now a minor basilica. [5] Benedict Labre made a pilgrimage to Liesse in 1770.

Prior to the Revolution, pilgrimages supported the economy of the village. There were a number of hostelries to provide accommodations for pilgrims. The manufacture and sale of religious souvenirs was a dominant activity. The shrine was destroyed during the French Revolution, and later rebuilt. [6]

Notre-Dame de Liesse

Basilique Notre-Dame de Liesse Basilique Notre-Dame de Liesse 14082008 10.jpg
Basilique Notre-Dame de Liesse

Liesse was a favorite destination for royal pilgrimages, visited by Louis VII, Charles VI, Charles VII, and others. Devotion to Our Lady of Joy spread throughout France, particularly to Normandy where there are a number of churches dedicated to Mary under this title. An annual pilgrimage used to be held in Aude to a is in Fleury sanctuary refounded in the seventeenth century by an archbishop of Narbonne named Louis Vervins. [7] Our Lady of Liesse is also honored in Belgium, Canada, and Malta. Jesuits spread their devotion to Africa.

Notre-Dame de Liesse is the patroness of the Diocese of Soissons. [8]

The present site contains a pilgrim shelter that is intended primarily to accommodate pilgrims and gatherings of parishes in the diocese of Soissons, but it is open also to families and associations.

Legends

The statue is said to have been brought to Liesse by three Knights Hospitaller. The three were brothers and members of the noble house of Eppes in Picardya. Sometime in the twelfth century, while protecting the fortress of Bersabee, near Ascalon, they were captured in a Saracene ambush and taken to the Sultan of Egypt. The knights refused to convert to Islam, despite theological arguments and promises of gold and honor. Angels brought the three imprisoned knights a small statue of Our Lady for consolation. The Sultan decided to send his daughter Ismeria to the dungeon to convert the three knights. But the knights preferred to talk about what unites people of different religions. She learns about the Christian god and is prompted to assist in the brothers' escape. During their flight all four fall asleep, and during their sleep are miraculously transported to Northern France. Awakening close to the Eppes’ castle in Picardy, their joy and that of their family is immense. Ismeria receives baptism in the cathedral of Laon. The knights preserved the statue of the Madonna, and built a handsome church to receive Our Lady of Liesse. [9] According to a sixteenth century tradition, the knights were the sons of William, sire of Eppes. Their names were Jean, Hector, and Henri.

A second story recounts how in 1139 a thief had recourse to Notre-Dame de Liesse and she saved him from hanging.

Grand Marais

The Grand Marais consists of about twenty hectares of marshland with mainly bog ponds, wet wood and reed beds.In the eighteenth century, the march was mainly used for grazing and for cutting peat for heating. The Great Swamp is home to over 232 species of plants, birds and dragonflies native to Picardy. The local municipal council works with the Conservatory of Natural Sites of Picardie to preserve the site. [10]

Population

Historical population
YearPop.±%
19621,316    
19681,396+6.1%
19751,326−5.0%
19821,464+10.4%
19901,395−4.7%
19991,327−4.9%
20081,232−7.2%

See also

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Shrines to Mary, mother of Jesus</span> Typically Catholic shrines

A shrine to the Virgin Mary, or Marian shrine, is a shrine marking an apparition or other miracle ascribed to the Blessed Virgin Mary, or a site on which is centered a historically strong Marian devotion. Such locales are often the destinations of Christian pilgrimages.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Aisne</span> Department of France

Aisne is a French department in the Hauts-de-France region of northern France. It is named after the river Aisne. In 2020, it had a population of 529,374.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Laon</span> Prefecture and commune in Hauts-de-France, France

Laon is a city in the Aisne department in Hauts-de-France in northern France.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Black Madonna</span> Artistic depiction of the Virgin Mary and Jesus

The term Black Madonna or Black Virgin tends to refer to statues or paintings in Western Christendom of the Blessed Virgin Mary and the Infant Jesus, where both figures are depicted with dark skin. Examples of the Black Madonna can be found both in Catholic and Orthodox countries.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Sanctuary of Our Lady of Lourdes</span> Marian shrine in Hautes-Pyrénées, France

The Sanctuary of Our Lady of Lourdes is a Catholic Marian shrine and pilgrimage site dedicated to Our Lady of Lourdes in the town of Lourdes, Hautes-Pyrénées, France. The sanctuary includes several religious buildings and monuments around the grotto of Massabielle, the place where the events of the Lourdes apparitions occurred in 1858, among them are three basilicas, the Basilica of Our Lady of the Immaculate Conception, the Rosary Basilica and the Basilica of St. Pius X, respectively known as the upper, lower and underground basilica.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Our Lady of Lourdes</span> A title of Mary, mother of Jesus

Our Lady of Lourdes is a title of the Virgin Mary. She is venerated under this title by the Roman Catholic Church due to her apparitions that occurred in Lourdes, France. The first apparition of 11 February 1858, of which Bernadette Soubirous told her mother that a "Lady" spoke to her in the cave of Massabielle while she was gathering firewood with her sister and a friend. Similar apparitions of the "Lady" were reported on 18 occasions that year, until the climax revelation in which she introduced herself as: "the Immaculate Conception". On 18 January 1862, the local Bishop of Tarbes Bertrand-Sévère Laurence endorsed the veneration of the Blessed Virgin Mary in Lourdes.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Basilica of Notre-Dame de Fourvière</span> Minor basilica in Lyon

The Basilica of Notre-Dame de Fourvière is a minor basilica in Lyon, France. It was built with private funds between 1872 and 1896 in a dominant position overlooking the city. The site it occupies was once the Roman forum of Trajan, the forum vetus, thus its name.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Notre-Dame-du-Cap Basilica</span> Church in Quebec, Canada

The Basilica of Notre-Dame-du-Cap is a minor basilica in Trois-Rivières, Quebec, Canada. It is Canada's national shrine to the Blessed Virgin Mary, and one of the country's six national shrines. Each year, the site is visited by thousands of Catholic pilgrims.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Basilica of Notre-Dame, Boulogne</span>

The Basilica of Notre-Dame, Boulogne, otherwise the Basilica of Our Lady of the Immaculate Conception, is a minor basilica located in Boulogne-sur-Mer in the Pas-de-Calais département of northern France. The basilica, a prominent landmark of the city with its 101 metres (331 ft) high dome, was built between 1827 and 1875 on the site of the medieval cathedral of Boulogne: the basilica is still known locally as the "cathedral", although the present church has never had that status.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Roman Catholic Diocese of Soissons</span> Catholic diocese in France

The Diocese of Soissons, Laon, and Saint-Quentin is a Latin Church diocese of the Catholic Church in France. The diocese is suffragan to the Archdiocese of Reims and corresponds, with the exception of two hamlets, to the entire Department of Aisne. The current bishop is Renauld Marie François Dupont de Dinechin, appointed on 30 October 2015. In 2022, in the Diocese of Soissons there is one priest for every 5,594 Catholics.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Saint-Étienne-le-Laus</span> Commune in Provence-Alpes-Côte dAzur, France

Saint-Étienne-le-Laus is a commune in the Hautes-Alpes department in southeastern France.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Catholic Marian church buildings</span> Type of religious building

Catholic Marian churches are religious buildings dedicated to the veneration of the Blessed Virgin Mary. These churches were built throughout the history of the Catholic Church, and today they can be found on every continent including Antarctica. The history of Marian church architecture tells the unfolding story of the development of Catholic Mariology.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Basilica of Our Lady of Tongre</span>

The Basilica of Our Lady of Tongre is a Roman Catholic parish church and minor basilica in Tongre-Notre-Dame, Chièvres, Belgium. The shrine is small, yet rich in historical significance.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Basilica of Our Lady of Scherpenheuvel</span>

The Basilica of Our Lady of Scherpenheuvel is a Roman Catholic parish church and minor basilica in Scherpenheuvel-Zichem, Belgium. The church was consecrated in 1627 and raised to the status of a minor basilica in 1922. It is reputedly the most frequently visited shrine of pilgrimage in Belgium. While the cult on the Scherpenheuvel is older, its present architectural layout and its enduring importance are due to the patronage of the Archdukes Albert and Isabella and the Counter-Reformation.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Our Lady of the Cape</span>

Our Lady of the Cape is a title given to Mary the Mother of God in Cap-de-la-Madeleine, Quebec Canada. The title refers specifically to a statue of the Blessed Mother which is currently located in the Old Shrine.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Basilica of Our Lady of Geneva</span> Church in Switzerland

The Basilica of Notre Dame of Geneva is a Roman Catholic church and Minor Basilica located in Geneva, Switzerland. It is dedicated to the Blessed Virgin Mary.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Pilgrimage to Chartres</span> Annual pilgrimage from Paris to Chartres

The Chartres pilgrimage, also known in French as the pèlerinage de Chrétienté, is an annual pilgrimage from Notre-Dame de Paris to Notre-Dame de Chartres occurring around the Christian feast of Pentecost, organized by Notre-Dame de Chrétienté, a Catholic lay non-profit organization based in Versailles, France. Although the pilgrimage has existed since 1983, the organization was not founded until 1991. There is also a pilgrimage in an opposite direction from Chartres to Paris called Pèlerinage de Tradition and organised by the Society of Saint Pius X

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Basilicas in the Catholic Church</span> Ceremonial designation of church buildings

Basilicas are Catholic church buildings that have a designation, conferring special privileges, given by the Pope. Basilicas are distinguished for ceremonial purposes from other churches. The building need not be a basilica in the architectural sense. Basilicas are either major basilicas, of which there are four, all in the Diocese of Rome, or minor basilicas, of which there were 1,810 worldwide as of 2019.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Basilica of Our Lady of Thierenbach</span> Church located in Haut-Rhin, France

The Basilica of Our Lady of Thierenbach is a Cluniac priory and minor basilica located in Jungholtz, in the Alasace region of France.

References

  1. "Répertoire national des élus: les maires". data.gouv.fr, Plateforme ouverte des données publiques françaises (in French). 9 August 2021.
  2. "Populations légales 2021" (in French). The National Institute of Statistics and Economic Studies. 28 December 2023.
  3. Décret du 10 mars 1988 portant changement de nom de communes, Journal officiel de la République française n° 0065, 17 March 1988, p. 3550.
  4. Wedgwood, C. V. (1970) The King's War: 1641–1647. London: Fontana
  5. "Liesse Notre-Dame", In the Footsteps of La Salle
  6. André, Marie. "The Beautiful Story of Our Lady of Liesse"[ dead link ]
  7. Maes, Bruno. "Our Lady of Liesse, Eight centuries of liberation and joy
  8. "Notre-Dame de Liesse", Diocese of Soissons
  9. Roten, Johann G., "Our Lady of Liesse", Marian Library, University of Dayton
  10. "Basilica", Ville de Liesse Notre-Dame Archived 2016-04-19 at the Wayback Machine