THE ASCENSION PROCESSION IN ORCIVAL, IN THE AUVERGNE REGION OF FRANCE; ASCENSION DAY

 THE ASCENSION PROCESSION IN ORCIVAL, IN THE AUVERGNE REGION OF FRANCE

ASCENSION DAY 13th MAY
NOTRE DAME DES FERS
(Our Lady of the Irons (or Shackles))




Orcival is situated in the Auvergne region of France, the most beautiful and historic town, with an ancient church, Notre Dame d’Orcival, in which a truly beautiful black Madonna is situated in a glass case on the altar of the Basilica, brought to the original church more than 1,000 years ago and said to have been carved by St Luke himself. The statue is called “Notre Dame Des Fers” or “Our Lady of the Shackles”, its special place in Catholic history illustrated by the many leg irons and shackles that are hung from the walls of the Basilica. These shackles are the irons of slaves, many of them captured French, Celt or Slavic people.
The statue was brought to the primitive church (the church preceding the current Basilica) but was buried at a time when the area was invaded by barbarians. The place where she was buried is called La Tombe de la Vierge and, it is said that when she was returned to the church, each time, she returned to the Hill. For this reason, at the annual procession of the Ascension, she is carried back up the hill. This procession is one of the oldest in France.
The figures of Mother and Son are covered with gold and silver. The style in which the portrait was done is called the “way-pointer style (“Hodigitria”), whereby the Blessed Virgin points to the Christ-child – the Lord. The statue is attributed to St Luke, but, in any event, the style of the statue certainly derives from the very early Church and the image itself is a prayer to Our Lady as the preparer of the Way to Salvation.
The medieval slave trade was conducted by Muslim, Jewish, Viking and Venetian slave traders. The slaves were mostly Slavic, but also included Anglo-Saxon, Celts and Franks, (St Patrick was a slave taken by the Vikings).
The Basilica at Orcival is called Notre Dame de la Deliverance, (Our Lady of Release) or Notre Dame des Fers, (Our Lady of Shackles), because when slaves were captured, people would make pilgrimage to this church and pray for their release. Notre Dame des Fers made miracles and set prisoners free – it is said that shackles literally fell off the slaves. On gaining their freedom, many former slaves would make a pilgrimage in gratitude to Our Lady and would leave their shackles at the church. The church has shackles hanging from the walls of the transept on the south of the basilica – remnants of their former slavery and liberty.
For many centuries, on the Feast of the Ascension, a pilgrimage has been made from the Basilica to the top of the nearby mountain and the statue of Our Lady, crowned and clad in vestments, is carried by men, barefoot, from the Basilica to the Tomb where she was recovered after being hidden – La Tombe de la Vierge, which is on the side of the hill. For the duration of the pilgrimage the crowd chant hymns and prayers. The video in a preceding post shows the pilgrimage of 2019, (pre-Covid), with the crowd singing “Salve Regina.” (2)
The significance of this practice, held for over 1,000 years, reached its zenith in the years of World War II. In the Nazi occupation of France, the town of Orcival was occupied by Nazi troops and, of course, any Catholic religious processions were banned.
At that time, many priests and local French people in the district had been imprisoned by the Nazis. The local priest conducted the pilgrimage. Later, he was arrested by the Nazis and was sent to Auschwitz where he died.
After the War ended, the pilgrimage resumed and the first pilgrimage after the War which was conducted on the Feast of the Ascension was done so in gratitude for the release of those who had been enslaved in the concentration camps. Over two hundred thousand former inmates of German concentration camps and their families completed the procession. At the head of the procession, taking the place of the local priest was another priest, one whom he had befriended in Auschwitz. That priest did the pilgrimage in gratitude to Our Lady for his freedom and in honour of his friend.
The pilgrimage is conducted for freedom from slavery of many kinds, not confined to physical enslavement, but also including slavery to drugs, vices such as pornography and other oppressions.
(1) Richard Alexander, Deep Heart of France, “Orcival is a medieval gem in the deep heart of France”.
(2) Archives departmentales, Puy de Dome, pelerinage de l’ascension de la vierge d’orcival.
Image from there, Public Domain.

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