There is a medal found around the necks of grandmothers, in family jewelry boxes, and on the wrists of newborns on both sides of the Pyrenees: the Miraculous Medal. In Spain, we call it La Milagrosa, and it is one of the most beloved medals among our customers. But its story is French, and even Parisian. We wanted to tell it to you in your language.
A young novice, rue du Bac
In the spring of 1830, Catherine Labouré, the daughter of Burgundian peasants, arrived at the motherhouse of the Daughters of Charity on rue du Bac in Paris to begin her novitiate. She was 24 years old. During the night of July 18 to 19, 1830, she recounted being led to the chapel, where the Virgin appeared to her and invited her to come to the foot of the altar to receive graces.
November 27, 1830
This is the most important date. On Saturday, November 27, 1830, around 5:30 p.m., during evening prayer, the Virgin appeared to Sister Catherine again. She stood on a globe, her hands open with rays of light emanating from them, surrounded by an inscription: “O Mary, conceived without sin, pray for us who have recourse to thee”. Then the image turned to reveal the letter M surmounted by a cross, the two hearts of Jesus and Mary, and twelve stars. The Virgin asked Catherine to have a medal struck after this model, promising great graces to those who would wear it with confidence.
Why “miraculous”?
Catherine confided everything to her confessor, Father Aladel, who eventually spoke to the Archbishop of Paris. In 1832, a terrible cholera epidemic struck the capital and killed more than 20,000 people. In June, the Daughters of Charity distributed the first two thousand medals. Very quickly, so many healings and conversions were attributed to them that the people christened it with a single word: miraculous.
A discreet saint
Perhaps the most beautiful thing is that Catherine never sought the spotlight. She spent the rest of her life at the hospice in Enghien, serving the elderly, without revealing that she was the visionary of rue du Bac. She died on December 31, 1876, and Pius XII canonized her on July 27, 1947. Her body has rested since 1933 in the chapel on rue du Bac, at number 140, which nearly two million visitors pass through every year: one of the most visited places in Paris. Since the recognition of the apparitions by Leo XIII in 1894, the Church celebrates Our Lady of the Miraculous Medal on November 27.
Our Miraculous Medals
With natural pearls€69
With rubies and sapphires€69
Pearl and navy blue enamel€69
Natural pearl and pearlescent white enamel€69
Fluorite and lilac enamel€69
With amazonite€69
With lapis lazuli€65
With amethyst€65
All our medals are handmade in Spain, by the workshops and enamellers we have worked with since the beginning. Oval, inspired by antique family medals and coins, they come with a 40 cm Spanish chain and a 5 cm extension. Each one arrives gift-wrapped at no extra cost, with an exclusive illustration of the Virgin and a text about her story, so you know what you are wearing. And if it is a gift, we will handwrite the message of your choice, free of charge. We deliver to France. Discover all our Miraculous Medals.
Who to give a Miraculous Medal to?
Some gifts are forgotten. A medal, no: you wear it every day, it accompanies both the beautiful and the most difficult moments, and it is often passed down from mother to daughter. Here are a few ideas:
- For a baptism or birth: the natural pearl and pearlescent white enamel medal, soft and luminous.
- For a first communion or confirmation: the medal with natural pearls, the most classic, the one that never disappoints.
- For a mother, grandmother, or godmother: the medal with rubies and sapphires, with a touch of color.
- For November 27: the pearl and navy blue enamel medal, the blue of Mary.
Praying with your medal
The prayer of the Medal is very short, and that is why we know it by heart: “O Mary, conceived without sin, pray for us who have recourse to thee”. You can say it in the morning when putting on your medal, to carry the Virgin close to you all day, as she asked Catherine: with confidence.
Facts you can verify
- Catherine Labouré arrived on rue du Bac in April 1830; on November 27, 1830, the Virgin extended her hands from which rays of light emanate, as on the medal. Source
- The first medals were distributed in June 1832, during the cholera epidemic; Leo XIII recognized the apparitions in 1894. Source
- Catherine died on December 31, 1876, and Pius XII canonized her on July 27, 1947. Source
- Her body was transferred in 1933 to the chapel at 140 rue du Bac. Source
- The chapel welcomes nearly two million visitors per year. Source
The most beautiful medals are on www.khartesmadrid.com. Follow us on Instagram: @khartesmadrid.
Marian and Bárbara
To learn more (in Spanish)