Our Lady of Luxembourg
Statue of the Consolatrix Afflictorum in Notre-Dame Cathedral, Luxembourg
Venerated inRoman Catholic Archdiocese of Luxembourg
Feast15 September
Friday before Good Friday
AttributesBlessed Virgin Mary, crowned and draped with a gilded cope, while carrying the Infant Jesus holding a scepter
PatronageGrand Duchy of Luxembourg

Our Lady of Luxembourg is a devotion to the Blessed Virgin Mary in Luxembourg, 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 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 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 in Germany since 1 June 1642.[1] Following an apparition in that place, an image of Our Lady of Luxembourg was placed there.[2] 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[3] and even India, helped by the work of Jesuit missionaries.[4]

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.

Luxembourgish painter Michel Engels 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".[5]

Takenplatte: fireplace fireback in honor of Our Lady of Luxembourg

Fireback plate representing 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 hymns 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. During World War II, they took an even greater significance as their singing was outlawed by the Third Reich which considered them to be too "patriotic".[6] Well into the 21st century, they remain chosen hymns of the Archdiocese of Luxembourg.[7]

O Mamm, léif Mamm do uewen (O Mother, dear Mother in Heaven)
Original lyrics English translation
O Mamm, léif Mamm do uewen

Ech hunn dech eenzeg gier

Däin Numm ass mir gegruewen

An d'Hierz bis an de Kier

Däin Numm ass mir gegruewen

An d'Hierz bis an de Kier

 O Mother, dear Mother in Heaven

I love you more than all

Your name is deeply graven

Into my heart and soul

Your name is deeply graven

Into my heart and soul

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.[8]

Léif Mamm, ech weess et net ze son (Dear mother, I cannot describe you)
Original lyrics English translation
Léif Mamm, ech weess et net ze son

Wéi gär ech bei dir sinn

Léif Mamm, ech kann net vun dir gon

Bis ech erhéiert ginn

Léif Mamm, du hëlleg Kinnegin

Looss all deng Kanner bei dir sinn

Géi du mat hinnen Hand an Hand

A seen, a seen onst Lëtzebuerger Land!


Dear mother, I cannot describe you

How much I love to be with you

Dear mother, with you I want to stay

Until I get response

Dear mother, you holy holy Queen

Let all your children with you be

Oh, walk with them all, hand in hand

And bless, and bless our Luxembourger Land!

Léif Mamm, ech weess et net ze son was composed by Luxembourgish priest Josef Biwer in the first half of the twentieth century.[9] It is considered as one of the "Nationallieder" or national hymns of Luxembourg.[10]

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 presence of the Grand Duke, who also takes part in the eucharistic procession and the renewal of the consecration to our Lady.[11]

References

  1. ↑ Cruz, Joan Carroll (1993). Miraculous Images of Our Lady: 100 Famous Catholic Portraits and Statues. TAN Books. ISBN 978-0-89555-819-0.
  2. ↑ Melton, J. Gordon (2007-09-01). The Encyclopedia of Religious Phenomena. Visible Ink Press. p. 246. ISBN 978-1-57859-230-2.
  3. ↑ Roder, Richard J. (2007). Veneration of Our Lady of Luxembourg in the United States. Rules of Baseball.
  4. ↑ Gomes, P. J. (1975). Your Servant for Jesus' Sake: Fr. Paul Turmes, S.J. Gomes. p. 141.
  5. ↑ Kmec, Sonja (2010). Inventing Luxembourg: Representations of the Past, Space and Language from the Nineteenth to the Twenty-first Century. BRILL. p. 82. ISBN 978-90-04-18176-2.
  6. ↑ Pottier, Joël; Bloch, Peter André (1988). Christen im Widerstand gegen das Dritte Reich (in German). Burg-Verlag. p. 299. ISBN 978-3-922801-41-2.
  7. ↑ Riehm, Heinrich (2004). Das Kirchenlied am Anfang des 21. Jahrhunderts in den evangelischen und katholischen Gesangbüchern des deutschen Sprachbereichs: eine Dokumentation (in German). Francke. p. 131. ISBN 978-3-7720-8034-0.
  8. ↑ Biographie nationale du pays de Luxembourg depuis ses origines jusqu'à nos jours (in French). Imprimerie de la Cour Victor Buck. 1949. p. 295.
  9. ↑ "Patrona Civitatis 1666-2016 (2 CDs)". Austrian Gramophone. 2017-07-13. Retrieved 2022-06-03.
  10. ↑ Hoffmann, Fernand (1967). Geschichte der Luxembourger Mundartdichtung: Bd. Von Aendréi Duchscher bis zur Gegenwart (in Luxembourgish). Druckerei Bourg-Bourger. p. 1990.
  11. ↑ Santoro, Nicholas Joseph (2011-08-12). Mary in Our Life: Atlas of the Names and Titles of Mary, the Mother of Jesus, and Their Place in Marian Devotion. iUniverse. p. 458. ISBN 978-1-4620-4022-3.
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