Notre Dame of Myans

Q: What is Notre Dame of Myans?

A: Notre Dame of Myans, eastern region of France called Savoie, near Chambery, according to some, is the "most ancient and stable pilgrimage in France." (van Gennep) She is considered Queen of the region of Savoie. The church is located in the heart of the Savoie vineyards (Abymes, Apremont). In the crypt of the sanctuary there is a wooden statue of about 70 cm since c. 1100 venerated as l'image de Notre-Dame, noire en ethiopienne. In 1248 an earthquake destroyed the mountainous landscape and killed five thousand people. An avalanche of earth and rock stopped as if by a miracle at the chapel of Myans. Monks who had fled to Myans heard the demons who pushed the avalanche calling to each other: "Go on! Go on!" only to be answered by their colleagues: "We cannot because the Brown One, that is to say the Black one, is stopping us." Other miracles are mentioned, among them the brother of Saint Francis de Sales saved from drowning by Our Lady of Myans on the way to his marriage.