Timeline

Key figures

Origin and history

The Notre-Dame de Lavasina shrine, located in the eponymous hamlet on the municipality of Brando (Haute-Corse), is erected on a promontory overlooking the Lavasina anse, north of Bastia. Nicknamed the 'Lourdes de la Corse', it owes its fame to an anonymous painting by the Virgin Mary, received in the 16th century by a family of merchant sailors, the Danese. This table, acquired in settlement of an unpaid debt, would miraculously have contained the exact sum due, sealing its sacred character.

The legend of the miracle of 1675 tells that a Franciscan tertiary nun of Bonifacio, Sister Marie-Agnès, suffering from paralysis and convulsions, found refuge in the chapel during a storm. After anointing her legs with the oil of the lamp illuminating the table, she instantly covered the use of her limbs. This event led to the erection of the chapel as a church 'Our Lady of Graces', officially celebrated on September 8, 1677. The sanctuary then became a place of major devotion, attracting pilgrims and ex-voto.

In 1779, a procession organised to implore the end of a catastrophic drought was followed by saving rains, strengthening the miraculous reputation of the place. This miracle was immortalized by the poet Giuseppe Giovanelli. Confed to the Franciscans, the sanctuary experienced interruptions in their presence (1903–1913) before being erected as a parish church in 1938, serving Lavasina and Miomo. Today, there remains a high Corsican spiritual place, marked by annual pilgrimages and Marian celebrations, such as the feast of September 8.

The sanctuary always houses the miraculous picture, placed above the altar. Traditions include a barefoot procession from Bastia, while church walls are covered with ex-voto showing favors obtained. The Dio vi salvi Regina, a Corsican hymn to the Virgin, is sung during the services, perpetuating a secular devotion mixing faith and island identity.

External links