Timeline

Key figures

Origin and history

The basilica Notre-Dame-du-Chêne de Vion originated in 1494 when shepherds observed light phenomena around an old oak located at the edge of Anjou and Maine. Intrigued, the parish priest of Vion, James Buret, placed a statuette of the Virgin, marking the beginning of a Marian cult. Miracles, such as the healing of a child suffering from torticolis after returning stolen flowers, strengthened devotion. The statuette, transported to the parish church, mysteriously returned to the oak, and a luminous apparition of the Virgin was brought back by a woman collecting wood.

As early as 1515, a chapel replaced the original oratory and was enlarged after 1625 thanks to Urban de Laval Boisdauphin, Marquis de Sablé. The pilgrimages multiplied, with tales of miracles recorded between 1621 and 1858, attracting up to 60,000 faithful annually in the 19th century. In 1864 the Bishop of Mans, Bishop Charles Fillion, launched the construction of a new church, consecrated in 1891 and elevated to the rank of minor basilica in 1894. Two monuments, a calvary and a replica of the Holy Sepulchre, completed the whole.

The original oak, symbol of the sanctuary, was venerated for its fragments supposed to protect from lightning. Its roots, preserved in a shawl under the altar, testify to its importance. In the 20th century, the basilica evolved with the arrival of the brothers of the Saint John community in 2010, while celebrating its 500th anniversary in 1994. Today, it remains an active pilgrimage site, led by Father Alain-Dominique Versale and the Saint John community.

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