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Origin and history

The Notre-Dame de Laghet shrine finds its origins in a primitive chapel mentioned in the 15th century, frequented by the inhabitants of La Turbie, Èze and Villefranche. In 1652, the Virgin Mary appeared there, performing miracles attested by the bishop of Nice, Bishop Désiré Pallétis: thirty-six cases studied, including twenty-two authenticated as instant cures of incurable diseases. The fame of the place exploded, attracting crowds as early as 1654, the date of the first official pilgrimage organized by the trustees of Nice.

The present church, built between 1653 and 1655 by the architect of Nice Jean-André Guibert, replaces the early chapel. In a baroque style, it is distinguished by its bulb bell tower, its unique nave with cradle vaults decorated with stucco, and its orientation is. Consecrated in 1768, it houses a statue of the Virgin with the Child (1625), known as the Virgin of the Promises, offered by the priest Don Giacomo Fighiera. The sanctuary, destroyed during the Revolution in 1792, was restored in 1796 and became a place of spiritual retreats in the 20th century.

The site is enriched over the centuries: a convent for the decal Carmelites (1674), a crypt dedicated to Sainte-Thérèse, and a Chapel of the Black Virgin reconstructing the original building. The Dukes of Savoie, then the kings of Sardinia (Charles-Emmanuel III, Charles-Félix), made regular pilgrimages there until 1849. The solemn crowning of the Virgin in 1900 marked the climax of her devotion. Today, the sanctuary, managed by the Benedictines of Montmartre since 1978, preserves more than 6,000 ex-votos, 800 of which are classified, bearing witness to its major place in the French Marian heritage.

Laghet's ex-votos, among the most important in France, tell miracles through painted paintings or votive objects. An original local technique, the fixed on glass (inside paint on glass), is developed. The sanctuary, inscribed in the Historic Monuments in 1931, remains a living place, welcoming retreats and pilgrims, while preserving its artistic and spiritual heritage.

The history of the place is also related to its toponym: Laghet (or Laguet en Niçois) means a small lake, evoking a source developed from 1045 by the monks of the Abbey of Saint-Victor of Marseille, after the donation of the Castrum de Lacs by Raimbaud de Nice. This medieval past, although less documented, would anchor the site in a tradition of Marian devotion long before the apparitions of the seventeenth century.

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