Nos événements

Having become a basilica in 1993, Our Lady of Avioth is also called “the cathedral of the fields”. This flamboyant Gothic masterpiece is surprisingly large in size in the centre of a small village in the north of the Meuse region, in the heart of the former county of Chiny, very close to Orval Abbey and the Citadel of Montmédy.

Its construction began in the middle of the 13th century, after the miraculous appearance of a statue of the Virgin Mary, and extended over three phases: the towers and aisles in the 13th century, the choir and sacristy in the 14th century and the fusion between the western and eastern parts from 1375 to 1400. The building was classified as a historic monument in 1840.

The basilica is famous for its “ Receiveress ”, attached to the church enclosure. This small stone lace aedicula, considered unique in the world, was designed to welcome the devotions of pilgrims and receive their offerings. Its moulding has been on display at the Cité de l'Architecture et du Patrimoine in Paris since 1898.

Until the end of the 18th century, Avioth was a respite church where the Virgin was reputed to bring stillborn children to life temporarily in order to allow them to receive baptism. Today, pilgrims continue to come in great numbers to pray in front of the statue of Our Lady of Avioth, especially on July 16 during the ancestral pilgrimage.

Translated with www.DeepL.com/Translator