Assumption, National Day France, Saint
Cathedral of Our Lady of the Assumption, in Evreux.
On this feast commemorating the glorification of our Blessed Mother, we welcome the restoration of different processions Vow of Louis XIII in our diocese, which is dedicated (as cathedral) to the mystery of Mary, at the urging of the great King. These processions show the consecration of France to the Blessed Virgin Mary by the sovereign in 1638, following military victory and to give thanks for the design of a Dolphin.
Louis XIII (1601-1643) offering his crown at Notre Dame (right, Cathedral of Paris).
Prayer of the Vow of Louis XIII
O God, Who have given as patroness Your faithful the Blessed Virgin Mary, Your Mother, exalted above choirs of angels, deign to cast eyes on the Kingdom of Mercy of the Franks, a very pious king spent by a solemn vow to the custody of the same Virgin. You Who live and reign for ever and ever.
Vow of Louis XIII (extracts)
We have declared and declare that taking the most holy and glorious Virgin to special protective of our kingdom, we devote particular our person, our state, our crown and our subjects, begging us to want to inspire a holy conduct and defend with such care that kingdom against the efforts of all his enemies, that is he suffers the scourge of war or enjoys the sweetness of peace that we ask God with all our heart, it does so develop ways of using those which lead to the glory . And so that posterity can not fail to follow our wishes in this matter, and monument to mark the consecration of this immortal that we do, we will build again the high altar of the cathedral church of Paris with an image of the Virgin which takes into his arms one of his precious Son down from the cross and where we will be represented at the feet of the Son and the Mother as offering our crown and our scepter.
We admonish the lord archbishop of Paris and yet urge him that every year the day and feast of the Assumption, to make it our commemoration of this statement to the High Mass will be said in his church and cathedral after vespers of said day, it is a procession in the said church to be attended by all companies and sovereign body of the city, with such ceremony as that which occurs in the most solemn processions general, what we also want to be done in all parish churches as those of the monasteries of the said city and suburbs and in all cities, towns and villages of the said diocese of Paris.
Urge equally all archbishops and bishop of our kingdom and yet their urge to celebrate the same solemnity in their Episcopal churches and other churches in their diocese ; heard that the actual ceremony Courts of Parliament and other key companies and sovereign city officers will be present, and especially that there are several bishops who are not dedicated to the Virgin, we urge the said archbishops and bishop in this case to dedicate the main chapel of the said churches there to be made the said ceremony and raise an altar with an ornament suitable action so famous and to admonish all our peoples have a special devotion to the Virgin, to implore his protection in this day so that under such a powerful patron our kingdom is to cover all businesses of his enemies, he enjoys much of a good peace that God must be served and revered holy if at the last end for which we were created, for such is our pleasure .
Louis,
by the grace of God, King of France and Navarre.