This is not a pretty statue, but it is one of the most powerful, famous, and ancient ones, attributed, as so many, to Luke the Evangelist. Our Mother often challenges us not to judge with worldly eyes and not to reject something as not holy because it doesn't satisfy our mundane expectations. She reminds us, "Blessed are the poor in spirit."

Roc-Amadour is a spectacular sanctuary dating back to the 10th century. It is an important point on the old pilgrimage route to Santiago de Compostella. Many saints, kings, and queens have come here on pilgrimage, most notably St. Bernard of Clairveaux. The sanctuary is set in the rocky side of a steep river gorge and holds the remains of a certain Blessed Amadour. Some say he was the servant of the Blessed Mother and like a nanny and tutor to Jesus. They met when the Holy Family was on their flight to Egypt. Amadour owned a field of grain that miraculously grew tall enough to hide the fugitives from Herod's henchmen. After Mary had been assumed into Heaven, Amadour went to France and lived there as a hermit, as she had told him to do. He took this image with him and placed it in a cave dedicated to a pre-Christian trinity of goddesses. Thus he stopped the human sacrifice practiced there and Christianized the place. But, similar to Le Puy, there is still a druidic stone under the altar. In 1166, Amadour's remains were found buried in the entrance to an oratory dedicated to Mary.

Some say this Amadour, besides being all of the above, was also none other than Zacchaeus, the disciple of Jesus mentioned in the Bible. This French tradition gives him a wife, Veronica, the woman who, according to a very common tradition, wiped the face of Jesus during his passion.

In the 12th century a collection of 126 reported miracles attributed to Our Lady of Rocamadour was compiled and many more have been recounted since. She has healed the sick and insane, punished criminals, threatened and converted those who did not respect her, won battles for her followers, brought dead babies back to life at least long enough to be baptized, freed captives, protected sailors, helped women conceive and give birth, and performed just about every other imaginable miracle. Here is one of those stories:

Three pilgrims from Gosa were passing through the lonely wastelands near Saint-Guilhem, when they were led astray by thieves along remote and impassable tracks, over steep mountains and along valley floors. The robbers treated these innocent people injuriously and attempted to steal the property belonging to these poor of Christ. But the advocate of all mankind, the powerful Lady of Rocamadour, the exceptional star who lights up the world with her radiance, came to the aid of her servants as they called out to her. As was proper, she seized hold of the servants of iniquity, these workers of wickedness, and took away their sight, which is a human being's most cherished asset. She also paralyzed their hands and rendered them immobile like statues, out of pity leaving them only with the use of their tongues so that they could ask for mercy and express heartfelt penitence. And so with suppliant cries the robbers fell at the pilgrims' knees and asked that they placate the Lady, who is gentle but had been offended by their misdeeds, with their prayers and merits. The pilgrims were moved by the plight of the afflicted men, and their hearts were touched. They got down on the ground to pray, raised their voices to heaven, and asked the Lady of Mercy to take pity on the wretches. Then the unique Mother of Compassion, the people's hope for the forsaken who broke the necks of the dragon, the restorer of health, restored the thieves' senses and returned their bodies to their former health.(*1)

*1: Translated and analyzed by Marcus Bull, The Miracles of Our Lady of Rocamadour, Boydell Press, Woodbridge, UK: 1999, pp. 146-7