Our Lady of Montligeon and the Holy Souls

Devotions

A French Marian shrine, founded by Fr. Paul Buguet in Normandy in the 1880s, dedicated specifically to prayer for the most abandoned souls in purgatory.

Our Lady of Montligeon is a Marian devotion centered on the Basilica of Our Lady of Montligeon in Orne, Normandy, France, founded by the diocesan priest Fr. Paul Buguet in the 1880s as a work of prayer for the souls in purgatory, with a particular charism for those with no one left on earth to pray for them. Unlike many well-known Marian shrines, it is not associated with a reported apparition; it grew instead from a parish priest’s pastoral response to the poverty and grief he saw around him, expressed through prayer and Mass intentions for the dead sent from around the world.

Quick Facts

  • Category: Holy Souls & Faithful Departed — Suffrage for the Dead
  • Origin: Founded by Fr. Paul Buguet, a diocesan priest, in La Chapelle-Montligeon, Orne, Normandy, France, in the 1880s, as a work of prayer for the souls in purgatory
  • Associated saint: Not centered on a canonized saint; Fr. Paul Buguet is the devotion’s priest-founder
  • Country: France / International
  • Feast/observance: November 2; the shrine also keeps its own local pilgrimage days through the year
  • Church status: An approved shrine and association of the faithful under the authority of the local diocese
  • Private revelation: Not based on a reported apparition; the devotion grew from a parish priest’s pastoral initiative rather than a claimed vision

What Is This Devotion?

Devotion to Our Lady of Montligeon centers on the Basilica of Our Lady of Montligeon in the small Normandy village of La Chapelle-Montligeon, in the Orne department of France, and on the international association of prayer for the dead that grew up around it. Its specific charism is prayer for what French sources describe as the most abandoned souls — those in purgatory who have no family or friends left living to pray for them — offered alongside prayer for the named intentions the faithful send to the shrine from around the world.

Origin and History

Fr. Paul Buguet, parish priest of La Chapelle-Montligeon, founded the work in the 1880s after being moved by the poverty and grief he encountered in his rural parish, wishing to give the poor a concrete way to help their own deceased even when they could not afford to have Masses offered individually, by joining their prayers and small offerings to a shared, ongoing work of intercession for the dead. The devotion grew quickly beyond the parish, and the present basilica was built and consecrated in the early twentieth century to serve the many pilgrims and the international network of prayer intentions the work had attracted. The shrine and its associated work continue today under the authority of the local diocese, sending Masses and prayers for the deceased whose names are submitted by the faithful worldwide.

Catholic Theology

The devotion rests on the same doctrine underlying every act of suffrage for the dead — that the prayers of the living can help souls being purified in purgatory, within the communion of saints (CCC §1032) — joined to a Marian dimension that asks Our Lady’s intercession specifically on behalf of the dead. Its emphasis on the most forgotten souls gives concrete devotional shape to the Church’s teaching that charity toward the dead should not be limited only to those known and remembered by name.

How to Practice It

  • Submit a prayer intention or the name of a deceased person to the shrine, joining it to the ongoing work of prayer offered there for the dead.
  • Pray for the souls with no one else to pray for them, the shrine’s particular charism, alongside prayer for one’s own deceased.
  • Where possible, visit the basilica itself in Normandy, or join a diocesan or parish pilgrimage connected to the devotion.
  • Pair devotion to Our Lady of Montligeon with the Church’s ordinary means of praying for the dead, such as the Mass and the Rosary, rather than treating it as a separate or competing practice.

Associated Prayers

When It’s Observed

The shrine keeps its own local pilgrimage days through the year in addition to the universal observance of All Souls’ Day on November 2; those wishing to know its current pilgrimage calendar should consult the shrine directly.

Church Status

Our Lady of Montligeon is an approved shrine and association of the faithful operating under the authority of its local diocese, recognized for its work of prayer for the dead rather than for any claimed apparition. It stands in a different category from apparition-based Marian devotions and should not be presented as one.

Private Revelation Status

This devotion is not based on a reported apparition or private revelation of any kind. It grew instead from Fr. Paul Buguet’s pastoral response to the needs of his parish, expressed through an organized work of prayer for the deceased, which distinguishes it clearly from Marian shrines such as Lourdes or Fatima that trace their origin to a claimed vision.

Common Misconceptions

“Our Lady of Montligeon is based on a Marian apparition, like Lourdes or Fatima.”

It is not. The shrine’s origin lies in a parish priest’s pastoral initiative to organize prayer for the dead, not in any reported vision, which sets it apart from apparition-centered Marian devotions.

“The shrine only prays for souls whose families specifically request it.”

The devotion’s particular charism runs the other way: it emphasizes prayer for the most abandoned souls, those with no one left to pray for them, in addition to the named intentions the faithful submit.

Frequently Asked Questions

Where is Our Lady of Montligeon located?

The Basilica of Our Lady of Montligeon stands in La Chapelle-Montligeon, in the Orne department of Normandy, France.

Who founded the devotion, and when?

Fr. Paul Buguet, the parish priest of La Chapelle-Montligeon, founded the work of prayer for the dead in the 1880s, and the present basilica was built in the following decades.

Is Our Lady of Montligeon connected to a reported apparition?

No. Unlike shrines such as Lourdes or Fatima, its origin is a parish priest’s pastoral work rather than any claimed vision.

Can I send a prayer intention to the shrine from outside France?

The shrine’s work of prayer for the dead has long had an international character, receiving intentions from the faithful in many countries; those wishing to submit an intention should contact the shrine directly for current arrangements.

Sources

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