The Notre-Dame de Montligeon basilica is located in the town of La Chapelle-Montligeon, in the department of Orne, 12 km south-east of Mortagne-au-Perche.
Consecrated to "Our Lady Liberator of the souls in Purgatory", it was erected from 1894 to 1911 according to the plans of the architect Tessier. It was the village priest, Father Paul Buguet (1843-1918), who was the initiator, desiring both to contribute through prayer to saving the souls of the deceased but also, more prosaically, to energize the local economy.
He had previously founded the "Expiatory Work for the Deliverance of Souls in Purgatory" and was encouraged by Pope Leo XIII who granted him the title of Apostolic Prothonotary. He is buried in the building having spent his life traveling around Europe to raise funds and build the church which became a basilica in 1928...
This one has a neo-Gothic style and was built on a terrace which is accessed by stairs leading to the forecourt. The Latin cross plan includes a nave with aisles, a transept and a choir with an ambulatory dotted with chapels. The facade is framed by two spires 60 m high. The tympanum is lined with a double bas-relief. At the bottom, is represented Jesus descended into hell welcomed by the Saints of the Old Testament. Above is represented the Ascension. At the top of the facade, we notice a Virgin crowned by God and Christ. Inside, the upper gallery of the apse houses 32 statues of saints (including contemporaries such as the Curé of Ars or Vincent de Paul). Overlooking the high altar in Carrara marble, a 3.7 m high statue of "Our Lady Liberator", the work of the Roman artist Giulio Tadolini, was installed in 1919.
However, it should be noted highlights the exceptional set of stained glass windows designed and installed between 1917 and 1947 by master glassmaker Barillet. Art deco style for the first, they then reflect cubist and Fauve influences. As a result, they constitute both a panorama of glass art in the 20th century and an illustration of a double theme: the communion of saints and Christian eschatology (relating to the end of time and the life after death).
The basilica is listed in the Inventory. Accommodation buildings dedicated to welcoming pilgrims have been built nearby.
Open daily. Information on +33 2 33 85 17 00.
