The Virgin of the Miraculous Medal

In this category we have collected all the religious items dedicated to the Miraculous Medal.
It was in 1830 that this beautiful story of the Miraculous Medal began with the three times visit of the Blessed Virgin to a young postulant of the daughters of Charity, Sister Catherine Labouré. This was happening at the novitiate rue du Bac in Paris. At the second apparition which took place on November 27, 1830, the Blessed Virgin showed her in a painting the obverse and the reverse of what was to become the Miraculous Medal. It was not until 1832 that the first medals were struck; Because of the many and miraculous cures obtained through this medal during the cholera epidemic of 1834, the little medal, as it was called at the beginning, spread like wildfire and soon the people of the faithful named it the Miraculous Medal. Subsequently its spread only increased to reach billions of medals distributed throughout the world.
Before the revelation of the Miraculous Medal, at the first apparition, the Blessed Virgin had asked that the chapel of the Rue du Bac be opened to the public and she promised that many graces would be granted to the faithful who would come to pray at the foot of the altar from this chapel. In addition, she had asked for a statue of the Miraculous Virgin to be placed in the chapel at the very spot where the Blessed Virgin had appeared to St. Catherine Laboure. It will be necessary to wait for the death of the saint for the realization in 1880 of the two requests of the Virgin Mary.
The statue of the Virgin placed in the chapel is a little different from the figure on the medal. On the latter, the Blessed Virgin has open arms and hands stretched downwards while the other statue, on the later, put in the chapel, she is represented carrying in her hands a globe at the level of the bosom. On our blog and in the descriptions of religious objects dedicated to the miraculous medal we explained the reason for this difference; you can read the following article:
The Virgin at the Globe of the Miraculous Chapel of the rue du Bac
Be that as it may, the Blessed Virgin is honored as well by both figures.
The inscription of the medal "O Mary conceived without sin, pray for us who have recourse to you, clearly indicates that the statue of the Miraculous Medal is a statue of the Immaculate Conception, but it is more than that. symbolism of the Miraculous Medal recalls the privilege of Mary Mediator of all graces (the light rays) and the title of Mary co-redemptrix (the cross and the two hearts of the reverse of the medal).

These few explanations show the theological and spiritual richness of the Miraculous Medal. We understand that the manifestation of our devotion to the Virgin of the rue du Bac is not limited to this religious object worn around the neck, but also includes statues, key ring, etc ...

To learn more about the Miraculous Medal, we invite you to read the descriptions of religious objects dedicated to the Miraculous Medal. On each of them you will find theological, spiritual and historical considerations.
 You can also profitably consult these articles of our blog:
Why wear the Miraculous Medal?
The chapel of the Miraculous and Lourdes Medal
True or False Miraculous Medal?