Our Lady of Lapa
Sernancelhe, Portugal (1498)
Legend says that a mute girl was herding her flock when she found a statue of the Virgin in the cleft of a rock.
She made the statue an object of personal devotion to the dismay of her mother who thought the image was a doll and threw the statue in the fire. The girl shouted and grabbed the unburnt image out of the fire. She was cured, but her mother’s arm became paralyzed
After they both prayed, the mother regained use of her arm. The image was taken to the parish church by the priest but it miraculously returned to its original spot 3 times. A chapel was built on the spot and became a major place of pilgrimage.
In 1575, Pope Gregory XIII approved the request of King Sebastian to transfer the shrine to the Society of Jesus.
Text and image used with permission.
Source: "365 Days with Mary" by Michael O'Neill
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