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An attraction for pilgrimages and amateurs of religious happenings is to experience 140, rue du Bac. This Hotel de Chatillon, built in 1760, is the home of the Sisters of Saint-Vincent-de-Paul. A courtyard, a wall full of ex-voto, and visitors, pilgrims, tourists from all over the world, because this courtyard leads you to the entrance of what is called "La Chapelle Miraculeuse". But why am I telling you all this? What is so special about the chapel and their devote visitors, the people running around with medallions?
This is the story: in 1827, on November 27, the Virgin Mary dressed in " a white silk dress", appeared to a young girl, a novice nun and former servant Catherine Labouré. Catherine was ordered to create a coin or medal that would protect the people. 4 times the Virgin appeared to her. It took two years before the archbishop of Paris recognized the miracle of the Maria appearances and gave the permission to manufacture the medals as wished by Catherine Labouré. Four years later, already 4 million models of these Maria medals were in circulation, bearing a wonderful power…..
Today, the seat where Virgin Mary sat in front of Catherine Labouré is the object of an intense veneration. A packed chapel, any time you come, a perfect sampling of all levels of society. Two shrines contain the corpses of Sainte Catherine and Sainte Louise, founders of the Girls of Charity. 
But commerce and business are always present: in the courtyard an automatic distributor of rosaries and medals!! But I heard that they cancelled that item: too obvious! Anyway, business is booming because from all over the world people come to make a provision of miraculous guaranteed holy and consecrated. To obtain the medals, it's between 9 am - 12am and 3 pm- 6 pm, sold in a small room before the chapel (from 10 am on Sundays).

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