What's in the burning bush in l'Epine
And also
The tops
Village of l'Epine was the heart of an important pilgrimage, during the Middle-Ages. Our story began on March 24th 1400...
Shepherds found a statue of the Virgin Mary in a burning bush. They said sheeps had ran away, in front of her, panic-stricken... but lambs were attracted by the flames!
In the village, everybody talked about this miracle. So the next day, a big crowd started to gather around the bush. Thanks to pilgrims' offerings, they decided to raise a church dedicated to the Virgin, based on plans made by an English architect, Patrice.
Champagne's inhabitants came to put their shoulder to the wheel! So in 1429, the portal and 2 bell-towers were completed.
But king Charles VII entered in Champagne the same year... in order to expel the English from the territory! Patrice, our architect, decamped with the workers' pay! Thanks to the king's generosity, the building site went on.
The basilica had two towers, one is 55 metres high, the other one was levelled in 1798 because they put a telegraph on it. You know what? One of the two tower was crowned by a crown, in order to recall the king's generosity!