Our Lady of the Thorn
Marne, France (1400)
On March 24, 1400, Annunciation Eve, a mysterious light attracted some shepherds to a thorn bush, where they found a painted stone statue of the Virgin and Child.
In 1406, construction of a church began. Not completed until 1527, the Gothic building overlooks the fields of Champagne. Pope Pius X named it a Basilica Minor in 1914.
The statue is also of the Gothic type, but with its fully clothed Child suggests an earlier date. Possibly it goes back to an earlier shrine at the site, believed to have been a pilgrimage destination since the late 1100s.
The feast of Our Lady of the Thorn is celebrated on May 8 with rosary and Mass, and a diocesan pilgrimage on the following Sunday.
Text and image used with permission.
Source: "365 Days with Mary" by Michael O'Neill
Download the free "365 Days with Mary" app
Listen to "365 Days with Mary" each week on The Miracle Hunter® on EWTN Radio