The "Aldermen's Vow", or the Marian devotion of the people of Lyon

Every 8 September, the feast of the Nativity of the Virgin Mary, the mayor of Lyon, France, and his assistants go to the basilica of Our Lady of Fourvière to renew the Aldermen's Vow, a tradition that dates back to the 17th century. On 5 April 1643, when the plague was ravaging Europe and had already decimated the population of Lyon in previous years, the Provost of Merchants (equivalent to our mayor) and his 4 aldermen (deputies), accompanied by a crowd of Lyonnais, went in procession to Fourvière. They vowed to go up to the Virgin’s chapel each year to hear mass if the city was protected. Their prayers were heard, so from that year on - except during the French Revolution, the two world wars and two municipal terms of office - the city's council members have gone up to Fourvière to repeat their vow to the Virgin.

The Vow of the Aldermen, Fourvière Basilica / © CC0, photo Gérald Gambier.

Les raisons d'y croire :

The Aldermen's Vow is well documented in the town's annals. There is no reason to doubt its historicity. Moreover, the aldermen and the archbishop have gone to Fourvière every year since 1642, with a few exceptions. This shows the deep attachment they showed to Mary: they naturally turned to her during this trying time, because they had faith in the Virgin's intercession.

The plague was rampant in Lyon, as in the rest of France. The city had suffered several epidemics of this disease in the preceding years. However, the plague soon stopped, miraculously, following the procession of the aldermen and their solemn vow to repeat it every year. Once again, these facts are perfectly documented; they are not the stuff of local legend.

This tradition would not have lasted up to the present day, in a secularized society, if the protection of the town, following this vow, had not been a very significant and admitted fact.

Later, during another time of crisis, it was not the aldermen who renewed the promise made to the Virgin, but the people of Lyon themselves: in 1870, as the Prussian army drew dangerously close to Lyon, the population went up to Fourvière again and prayed to the Virgin to protect the city. They promised to build her a basilica if she would deliver them from the Prussian threat. The Prussians stopped at Mâcon and the Lyonnais kept their promise. Two years later, the foundation stone of the magnificent Fourvière basilica was laid. The scale of the work testifies to the depth of their gratitude.

Synthèse :

Since the Middle Ages, the plague had ravaged Europe. In the 17th century, it swept through Lyon in several waves: 1628, 1631, 1637, 1639 and 1642. In those days, people didn't talk about mayors or deputy mayors, but about provosts and aldermen, his assistants. This small group, known today as "échevins" by extension, was responsible for supplying the city, public works and taxes. On 5 April 1642, when the plague was ravaging Lyon, the aldermen made a vow to the Virgin asking her to deliver them from the scourge of the plague. Two days later, they organised a procession: an innumerable crowd went up to Fourvière, which at the time was simply a chapel of the Virgin. It was then decided, in the same chapel, that they would go to "on all feasts of the Nativity of the Virgin, which is the eighth day of September, without ceremonial robes, but nevertheless in their ordinary clothes, to the chapel of Notre-Dame de Fourvière, to hear holy mass there, to make their prayers and devotions to the said Virgin, and to offer her, as a form of homage and gratitude, the quantity of seven pounds of white wax in candles and torches, and a golden shield in the sun. And this to dispose the Virgin to receive the city of Lyon into her special protection." They also promised to build two statues of the Virgin, one of which still exists in the Hôtel-Dieu chapel. And, miraculously, the epidemic stopped! The Lyon delicacy tradition of the "coussin lyonnais" (Lyon cushion) takes its name from this event, as aldermen used to carry the golden shield on a green silk cushion. Around 1960, a certain chocolatier called Voisin created a delicacy made from chocolate ganache coated in marzipan, all flavoured with curaçao and therefore green in colour.

This decision by the aldermen was ratified on 12 March of the following year, 1643, and over time a blessing of the town, from the top of Fourvière, was added.

In accordance with the vow of 1642, this ceremony in the form of a procession has been held every year since, except during the French Revolution. In 1789, the event was banned altogether. The chapel was reopened to worship by Pope Pius VII in 1805, but it wasn't until 1848 that Cardinal de Bonald re-established the Notre-Dame de Fourvière brotherhood and the public pilgrimage of the old aldermen's tradition, even though a private pilgrimage had already resumed in 1840. However, the tradition was amended: there would no longer be any representatives of the public authorities, only envoys from the town's parishes.

In 1852, Cardinal de Bonald commissioned a statue of the Virgin Mary overlooking the city on what was then the Church of Fourvière. In keeping with the wishes of the aldermen, its inauguration was scheduled for 8 September. However, the Saône River was swollen at the time, due to strong precipitations, which delayed delivery of the statue, as the sculptor's workshop was flooded. The inauguration was therefore postponed until 8 December, the date on which the Immaculate Conception had long been celebrated, although this dogma was not officially approved until two years later. As a sign of piety, the people of Lyon lit luminous candles on their windowsills; this was the origin of the annual religious Festival of Lights.

In 1915, at the height of the First World War, the town council was invited to take part in the ceremony on 8 September, to mark the "sacred union". A number of councillors accepted the invitation and were invited as guests of honour to attend the offering, which was always presented by the parishes. The tradition was thus revived with greater significance, closer to its original spirit.

It was only during the Occupation of France during World War II, on the occasion of the third centenary of the vow, that the town council played an active and official role. On 8 September 1943, the mayor, accompanied by several councillors, presented the traditional offering golden louis (coin) himself, while the parishes presented the wax candle. The following year, on 2 and 3 September, Lyon was liberated. The mood was festive, and people were thinking about more than just traditions! On the 8th, a Te Deum (solemn hymn of Thanksgiving to God) was sung at Fourvière in the presence of the civil and military authorities, but the offering was omitted..

On 8 September 1945, a simple unofficial delegation from the town council took its place in the Fourvière choir. The deputy offered the golden louis, and the parishes continued to present the candle. At this point, it was impossible to repeat the gesture made by the municipality (appointed by the Vichy government) in 1943, so a compromise solution was found between the pre-war formula and that of 1943.

Thereafter, it was always the mayors who took part in the offering, except on two occasions: during the term of office of Édouard Herriot (1945-1957), who wished to strictly mark the separation of Church and State; and since the election of Grégory Doucet who, for the same reasons, delegated a Lyon businessman.

Camille Mino di Ca is a recent Catholic convert, who is passionate about conversion stories and the lives of saints. She writes for Hozana and other media, in a variety of formats, including biography, drama, poetry and song.