Visitors to the Basilica of Notre-Dame de Montligeon in the Orne region of France are often intrigued by an imposing cupboard known as the “obituary”. It contains the names of all members of the Fraternité Notre-Dame de Montligeon since 1884. Discover the Montligeon obituary.
What is an obituary?
An obituary is a “book containing a list of the deceased for whose birthday a community was to pray or celebrate an obit” (CNRTL). Thus, by extension, the Montligeon obituary refers to the cabinet in which the registers of the Fraternité Notre-Dame de Montligeon are kept.
The Fraternité Notre-Dame de Montligeon
When he founded the Fraternité de Montligeon, Abbé Buguet wanted people to pray for the deceased, whom no one remembers. He called them “the most neglected souls in purgatory”.
The Fraternité de Montligeon also brings together all living and deceased persons entrusted to the prayers of its members. Their names are recorded in the registers kept in the obituary.
The Montligeon obituary
The cabinet is 7.80 m high and 3.35 m wide. It was manufactured by Mousset of Mortagne-au-Perche in 2008 and installed in the basilica’s ambulatory.
Why an obituary at Montligeon?
When a person joins the Fraternité Notre-Dame de Montligeon, the secretariat of the Work enters his or her name in a register. At the end of November each year, this register is taken in procession and placed in the obituary.
How many people are registered?
In 1906, Pope Pius X asked Abbé Buguet how many people had signed up. The Abbé replied: “Twelve million! We’ve since lost the count, but the Montligeon obituary preserves all the names of those enrolled since the beginning of the Work.
