Timeline

Key figures

Origin and history

The shrine Our Lady of Ay finds its origins in the Middle Ages, during the Third Crusade, when a chapel was erected within a castle belonging to the Counts of Tournon, on the rocky spur of Ay. This place housed a statue of the Black Virgin, called "Our Lady of Ay", object of devotion until its destruction during the wars of Religion. The present statue, a copy installed after the seventeenth century, perpetuates this Marian cult, marked by processions attested from that time.

At the Revolution, the chapel and its lands were declared national property in 1789. Purchased by Antoine Farigoules, he installed his residence there while preserving the sacred furniture and adding a bell tower. In 1797 Father Joseph Laurent, without episcopal appointment, became chaplain for twelve years before the sanctuary returned to the local parish. The major restoration of the site took place in 1831 under the impulse of Jeanne de Larochette, who financed the elevation of the walls, the construction of a choir, a vault and a new bell tower, blessed in 1835 by the bishop of Viviers.

The sanctuary experienced political and religious tensions in the 19th century. In 1880 the Jesuit fathers, who had been managing the place since 1836, were expelled under the anti-congregation decrees, and the chapel sealed until 1883. To mark the Catholic resistance, a monumental statue of the Virgin (5 meters) was erected on the bell tower in 1890, followed by the solemn "coronment" of the Black Virgin, proclaimed "Queen of the Upper Vivarais" at a ceremony of 20,000 faithful and seven bishops. These events reflected the struggles between the Church and the State in France of the Third Republic.

In the 20th century, the sanctuary evolved with its time. The Jesuits finally left Ay in 1954, and the Black Virgin was listed as a historic monument in 1968. The site, which was included in the inventory of picturesque sites in Ardèche in 1982, became a place of spiritual and cultural retreat, welcoming exhibitions, seminars and Marian pilgrimages (May, Assumption, Immaculate Design). In 1990, the centenary of the coronation attracted thousands of faithful, marking the permanence of this ardèche high place of devotion.

Today, the sanctuary consists of the neoclassical chapel (vetted nave, cul-de-four choir), reception rooms, an outside cross path and a cemetery of Jesuit fathers. The statue of Our Lady of Ay, in polychrome oak (75 cm), potentially dating back to 1254, remains the central element. His white coat and crowns, added in 1890, symbolize his role as regional protector. The site, managed by the Ensemble Inter Paroissial de Satillieu since 1994, combines religious heritage, tourism and community life.

The sanctuary is also linked to major historical figures, such as Saint Jean-François Régis or the parish priest of Ars, who came as pilgrims. Its carillon of ten bells, its stained glass windows narrate local legends (such as that of the shepherdess saved by Mary), and its cultural exhibitions (e.g.: "Visage: reflection of man, reflection of Christ" in 2018) make it a living place, at the crossroads of faith, art and the history of Victoria.

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