Our Lady of Pontmain

On the evening of January 17, 1871, near the end of the Franco-Prussian War, two brothers — Eugène Barbedette, aged twelve, and Joseph, aged ten — reported seeing a silent, smiling woman in the night sky above their farmhouse in the village of Pontmain in Normandy. Other children brought to the scene also reported seeing her; adult witnesses saw only stars. Over approximately three hours, a message appeared letter by letter beneath the figure: But pray, my children. God will hear you in a little while. My Son allows himself to be moved. As those gathered prayed the rosary, Prussian troops advancing toward the region halted inexplicably at a town twenty miles away. The armistice was signed ten days later. Bishop Wicart of Laval approved the apparition in 1872 and assigned the title Our Lady of Hope.