The history of the statue of Our Lady of Africa

Before the feast of Our Lady of Africa on the 30th of April, we wanto to share the history of the statue of Mary in the Basilica of Algiers. Her story starts in 1840…

On 5 February 1840, Bishop Dupuch, since 1839 the first Bishop of Algiers went to France to find priests and resources for his new diocese.

When he arrived in Paris, he visited the Sisters of the Sacred Heart and there he saw the statue of the Virgo Fidelis, by Edme Bouchardon, King Louis XV’s sculptor.

He was immediately won over and asked for a copy.

In July 1907, the Sisters of the Sacred Heart were expelled and went into exile. The property in Villeurbanne was divided up into lots. In 1937, the White Fathers were able to buy the lot which included the chapel and made it their procure.

A copy of the statue was made thanks to the mould which still existed and, on 5 May it was presented to the Bishop to take to Algiers.

This is the statue that would later be called “Our Lady of Africa”

The statue was first placed on the terrace of the Bishop’s residence; then, in 1843, it was lent to the Trappists of Staouéli, who placed it above the door of their monastery.

In 1846, Bishop Pavy succeeded Bishop Dupuch.

Following the definition of the dogma of the Immaculate Conception on December 8, 1854, Mgr Pavy decided to build a large pilgrimage church at Notre-Dame and he reclaimed the statue from the Trappists and on 20 September 1857, the “Virgo Fidelis”, henceforth “Our Lady of Africa”, was installed in a temporary chapel next to what would be the Basilica of Our Lady of Africa.

Work on the Basilica began on 27 February 1858.

On 14 November 1866, Bishop Pavy died.

His successor, Bishop Lavigerie, finished the construction of the church which he consecrated on 2 July 1872.

On 4 May the following year, he installed the statue of Our Lady of Africa in the new sanctuary.

In the spring of 1873, the White Fathers took possession of the church, considered the cradle of the Society. Today, our confreres still minister there.

In 1876, Pope Pius IX granted the sanctuary the title of basilica, and Mgr Lavigerie crowned the statue. From this day, the church of Our Lady of Africa became a basilica.

The diary of Our Lady of Africa gave this information regarding her habit

On 8 August 1885, a lady at Blida offered to have a gown made for Our Lady at her expense. The White Fathers accepted gratefully and asked the benefactress to get the Carmelites to carry out her pious plans. On 19 December, the same diary reported that a “subscription had been opened for the purchase of a gown for Our Lady…” This was doubtless to complete the gift of the first benefactress.

On 29 April 1886 that “22 ex-votos were placed in the sacristy of Our Lady of Africa during April, without counting the rich gown of the Virgin, embroidered by the Carmelites of Bugeaud (housing estate in Algiers) and due to the donations of many of the faithful”.

According to a black and white photograph published in 1914, this gown was very light in colour, studded with hexagonal embroidered motifs, like snowflakes, about the size of the palm of a large hand. In the centre, chest high, there was a deer, also embroidered.

In 1925, Sister Marie Claver (Odette Grandin de l’Eprevier, a niece of Mother Marie Claver, made a new gown.

And again in 1950, Sr. Emmeran (Yvonne Menjou-Marcat) of the Franciscan Missionaries of Mary, embroidered a new gown and a mantle. On Our Lady’s feast day of 30 April, the statue was clothed with its new costume.

There was a new “taking of the habit” on 7 December 1985, in the presence of Cardinal Duval.

The materials had been given by benefactors and thanks to a very generous gift, the work could be entrusted to a master embroiderer of Tlemcen, M. Sekkal.

A quotation from Sister Germaine-Marie (Marguerite Laporte) of the Sisters of Our Lady of Africa: “The embroidery was done according to the traditional technique of ‘medjdoub’, also used in France under the name ‘guipé’… The motifs, from the most important to the finest stems, are cut out in thin leather by the master embroiderer, who arranges them and sticks them to the velvet before handing it over to the embroiderers. The latter cover the motifs with gold threads which do not penetrate the cloth. On the inside, a linen thread pulls the gold threads and attaches them to both sides of the leather. Hence the name ‘Medjoub’ which comes from the Arabic word meaning ‘to pull’.

Several of our Sisters helped in the preparation and follow-up of this work which took three months.

Thus adorned with the beautiful work of an artisan of the country, the Virgin blesses the people who venerate her, standing on her ceramic pedestal, also made by an Algerian artist, M. Boumehdi.”

The canopy over the statue was removed in 2007 as it was on the point of collapsing.

It turned out that the inscription: “Our Lady of Africa, pray for us and for the Muslims” is now clearly seen from all angles.

Our Lady of Africa, set high above Algiers, looks out over the sea and watches over all those who pass from one side of the Mediterranean to the other, that crossroads where civilizations meet, from west to east, between East and West, and from south to north, between Africa and Europe.

The blessings of Our Lady of Africa also extend, we are sure, to all of Africa and to all those women and men who, while belonging to a multitude of communities, everywhere make up a single large family, fulfilling the function assigned to them and bringing their share to the common task in favour of Africa.