Our Lady of Luxembourg is a devotion to the
Blessed Virgin Mary
Mary; arc, ܡܪܝܡ, translit=Mariam; ar, مريم, translit=Maryam; grc, Μαρία, translit=María; la, Maria; cop, Ⲙⲁⲣⲓⲁ, translit=Maria was a first-century Jews, Jewish woman of Nazareth, the wife of Saint Joseph, Jose ...
in
Luxembourg
Luxembourg ( ; lb, Lëtzebuerg ; french: link=no, Luxembourg; german: link=no, Luxemburg), officially the Grand Duchy of Luxembourg, ; french: link=no, Grand-Duché de Luxembourg ; german: link=no, Großherzogtum Luxemburg is a small lan ...
, called under the Marian title of Comforter of the Afflicted.
History
A Jesuit devotion to promote the Catholic faith in Luxembourg
The devotion to Our Lady Consolatrix Afflictorum was initiated in Luxembourg by the
Jesuits
The Society of Jesus ( la, Societas Iesu; abbreviation: SJ), also known as the Jesuits (; la, Iesuitæ), is a religious order (Catholic), religious order of clerics regular of pontifical right for men in the Catholic Church headquartered in Rom ...
in 1624 and led to the election of Our Lady as the protectress of the City in 1666 and of the Duchy in 1678. After the destruction of the old pilgrimage chapel at the time of the
French Revolution
The French Revolution ( ) was a period of radical political and societal change in France that began with the Estates General of 1789 and ended with the formation of the French Consulate in November 1799. Many of its ideas are considere ...
, the statue of Our Lady of Luxembourg was moved to the former Saint Peter church, today renamed as Notre-Dame Cathedral in Luxembourg City.
Spreading the devotion: Our Lady of Kevelaer
From there the devotion was adopted by the English Benedictine nuns of Cambrai as well as in
Kevelaer
Kevelaer ( Low Rhenish: ''Käwela'') is a town in the district of Kleve, in North Rhine-Westphalia in Germany. It is the largest Catholic pilgrimage location within north-western Europe. More than 1 million pilgrims, mostly from Germany and t ...
in Germany since 1 June 1642. Following an apparition in that place, an image of Our Lady of Luxembourg was placed there. The devotion spreads not only to the historical provinces of Luxembourg in Lorraine or Belgium but also beyond the oceans as in the
United States
The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 states, a federal district, five major unincorporated territorie ...
and even India, helped by the work of Jesuit missionaries.
Becoming a national emblem of Luxembourg
From the 19th century, as Luxembourg emerged as nation-state, the ''Consolatrix Afflictorum'' was more often referred to as Our Lady of Luxembourg, signing an strong association between the Luxembourgish identity and the devotion to Our Lady.
Representation
Statue of our Lady of Luxembourg
The statue of Our Lady of Luxembourg is currently enshrined in the Cathedral of Our Lady in Luxembourg city.
Statues depicting Our Lady ''Consolatrix Afflictorum'' can be found in niches in buildings throughout the
city of Luxembourg
Luxembourg ( lb, Lëtzebuerg; french: Luxembourg; german: Luxemburg), also known as Luxembourg City ( lb, Stad Lëtzebuerg, link=no or ; french: Ville de Luxembourg, link=no; german: Stadt Luxemburg, link=no or ), is the capital city of the Gr ...
.
Luxembourgish painter
Michel Engels
Michel Engels (1851–1901) was a Luxembourg illustrator, painter and art teacher who is remembered principally for his sketches of the fortifications of Luxembourg City and for cofounding the ''Cercle artistique de Luxembourg''."Engels, Michel" ...
depicted a romantic version of the ''Consolatrix Afflictorum'' as the ''Allegorie de la Patria'' above the city of Luxembourg, showing that "it is under her watchful and protective eye that the nation achieved its political liberation".
''Takenplatte'': fireplace fireback in honor of Our Lady of Luxembourg
As a form of devotion to our Lady of Luxembourg, ''Takenplatte'' or firebacks were moulded with her image. They usually depict the Virgin Mary with the Child Jesus, holding a scepter, keys and high crown. Her veil falls down to the ground as a bridal symbol. Above Mary, putti hold a crown of clasps over her crowned head.
It was a very popular plate motif of which several casts have survived. The model has been in use for over 300 years, as dateable casts from 1708 to 1803 have been preserved. Our record is more spartan in nature.
Comparable plates with the identical main motif often have dates, banners and ornamental decorative elements.
At first glance, the picture on the Takenplatte bears very little resemblance to the Madonna standing in the Luxembourg Cathedral. This can be explained by the fact that this Madonna was always wrapped in precious clothes for centuries and is also shown on the Takenplatte, among other things. It was only during the last renovation in 2008 that the Madonna's robes were removed.
Hymnology
Various
hymn
A hymn is a type of song, and partially synonymous with devotional song, specifically written for the purpose of adoration or prayer, and typically addressed to a deity or deities, or to a prominent figure or personification. The word ''hymn'' ...
s have been composed in honour of Our Lady of Luxembourg, the two most popular being ''O Mamm, léif Mamm do uewen'' and ''Léif Mamm, ech weess et net ze son.'' These two hymns were written in
Luxembourgish language
Luxembourgish ( ; also ''Luxemburgish'', ''Luxembourgian'', ''Letzebu(e)rgesch''; Luxembourgish: ) is a West Germanic language that is spoken mainly in Luxembourg. About 400,000 people speak Luxembourgish worldwide.
As a standard form of th ...
. During World War II, they took an even greater significance as their singing was outlawed by the
Third Reich
Nazi Germany (lit. "National Socialist State"), ' (lit. "Nazi State") for short; also ' (lit. "National Socialist Germany") (officially known as the German Reich from 1933 until 1943, and the Greater German Reich from 1943 to 1945) was ...
which considered them to be too "patriotic". Well into the 21st century, they remain chosen hymns of the
Archdiocese of Luxembourg.
Originating from
Mullendorff, “O Mamm, leif Mamm do uewen” won citizenship at the Cathedral of Luxembourg and was set to music by P. A. Barthel.
''Léif Mamm, ech weess et net ze son'' was composed by Luxembourgish priest Josef Biwer in the first half of the twentieth century. It is considered as one of the "''Nationallieder''" or
national hymns of Luxembourg.
Devotion: the ''Oktav''
The devotion to Our Lady of Luxembourg is celebrated with great solemnity during the ''Oktav,'' which is a two-week celebration which ends with a pontifical mass celebrated by the
archbishop
In Christian denominations, an archbishop is a bishop of higher rank or office. In most cases, such as the Catholic Church, there are many archbishops who either have jurisdiction over an ecclesiastical province in addition to their own archdi ...
in presence of the
Grand Duke
Grand duke (feminine: grand duchess) is a European hereditary title, used either by certain monarchs or by members of certain monarchs' families. In status, a grand duke traditionally ranks in order of precedence below an emperor, as an approxi ...
, who also takes part in the eucharistic procession and the renewal of the consecration to our Lady.
References
{{Authority control
Virgin Mary in art
Society of Jesus
Titles of Mary
May observances
Religion in Luxembourg