Rue du Bac, Paris · 1830

The Miraculous Medal

In 1830, Our Lady appeared to a young sister in Paris and gave the world a gift: a small medal carrying a big promise. This is her story.

  1. July 18, 1830

    A midnight call

    A young novice of the Daughters of Charity, Catherine Labouré, is woken by a child dressed in white and led to the convent chapel on the Rue du Bac. There Our Lady sits beside her, and Catherine rests her hands in her lap. They speak for hours about the trials to come and the graces that await those who ask.

  2. November 27, 1830

    The vision of the medal

    During evening prayer, Our Lady appears standing on a globe, crushing a serpent beneath her feet. Rays of light stream from her hands. Around her, golden letters form the words that would become the medal’s prayer, and she asks Catherine to have a medal made after this model.

  3. 1832

    The first medals

    With the Archbishop of Paris’s approval, the first medals are struck as cholera sweeps the city. So many healings and conversions follow that the people give it a new name: the Miraculous Medal.

  4. 1876

    A hidden saint

    For 46 years, Catherine tells no one but her confessor that she is the sister who saw Our Lady. She spends her life quietly caring for the elderly. Only as she nears death does she share her secret.

  5. 1947

    Saint Catherine Labouré

    Pope Pius XII declares Catherine a saint. Today pilgrims from around the world visit the chapel at 140 Rue du Bac. Her feast is celebrated on November 28, and Our Lady of the Miraculous Medal on November 27.

“Have a medal struck after this model. All who wear it will receive great graces; they should wear it around the neck.”

Our Lady to St. Catherine Labouré

Reading the medal

Every detail, a message

The front

  • Our Lady on the globeShe stands over the whole world as Queen of Heaven and Earth, and over each soul who asks for her help.
  • The serpent beneath her feetSatan defeated. The promise of Genesis 3:15 fulfilled through Mary.
  • Rays from her handsThe graces she pours on all who ask for them. The dim stones, she said, are graces no one remembers to ask for.
  • The prayer in the frame“O Mary, conceived without sin, pray for us who have recourse to thee.” A profession of her Immaculate Conception, 24 years before it was declared dogma.

The back

  • The letter M and the crossMary standing beneath the cross of her Son, united with Him in His sacrifice.
  • Two heartsThe Sacred Heart of Jesus, crowned with thorns, and the Immaculate Heart of Mary, pierced by a sword.
  • Twelve starsThe twelve apostles, the Church, and the woman crowned with stars in Revelation 12.

O Mary, conceived without sin, pray for us who have recourse to thee.

Shop the medalFind a gift

Wear the promise

Keep Our Lady close