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Origin and history

The Basilica of Our Lady of Pontmain, also known as the Basilica of Our Lady of Hope, was built at the end of the 19th century on the site of a Marian apparition on 17 January 1871. Four children, Eugene and Joseph Barbedette, Françoise Richer and Jeanne-Marie Lebossé, declared that they had seen a "beautiful lady" for three hours, an event officially recognized by the Church in 1872. The appearance took place in a context of Franco-Prussian war, and the arrest of German troops was attributed to divine intervention.

The building of the basilica, entrusted to architect Eugène Hawke, began in 1873 under the impetus of Bishop Casimir Wicart, who wanted a building visible from afar to accommodate pilgrims. Consecrated in 1900 and elevated to the rank of minor basilica in 1905, it was attached to the Basilica of St Mary Major in Rome. Its neo-Gothic style, its stained glass windows made in several countryside (from the 19th to the 20th century), and its 39 bell carillon make it an emblematic place of Marian worship.

By 1871, spontaneous pilgrimages were organized, attracting thousands of faithful. The Missionary Oblates of Mary Immaculate, called by the bishop in 1872, led the scene until their expulsion in 1903, before returning after World War I. Today, the basilica hosts about 300,000 pilgrims a year, with peaks of 4,000 per day at major festivals such as the Assumption. Its history is marked by major celebrations, such as the 75th anniversary in 1946 presided over by the future Pope John XXIII, or the 150th in 2021.

The basilica, built of granite on a dry marsh, is distinguished by its atypical orientation (turned towards the house of apparition) and its large windows. The stained glass windows, made by master glassmakers such as Édouard Rathouis or Maurice Rocher, illustrate Marian apparitions and biblical scenes. The organ, installed in 1931, and the carillon, originally composed of 25 bells in 1896, complete this artistic and spiritual heritage.

A diocesan property financed by donations, the basilica was temporarily confiscated in 1905 before being returned to the bishopric in 1935. Although not classified as historical monuments, it remains a symbol of the Marian revival of the 19th century, linked to shrines such as Lourdes or La Salette. In 2024, she welcomed the episcopal ordination of Matthew Dupont, the new bishop of Laval.

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