In 1482,
Pope Sixtus IV commissioned the construction of the church of
Santa Maria della Pace on the foundations of the old Sant'Andrea de Aquarizariis. There are many papal encyclicals asking Mary to intercede for peace. During the troubled years of
World War I,
Pope Benedict XV added Our Lady of Peace to the
Litany of Loreto.
France The traditional story holds that in the early 1500s in
France, a certain Jean de Joyeuse presented the statue as a wedding gift to his young bride, Françoise e Voisins. The statue was known as the "Virgin of Joyeuse", and became a cherished family heirloom. Around the year 1588, Jean's grandson, Henri Joyeuse, joined the
Capuchin Franciscans in Paris and brought the statue with him, where it remained for the next 200 years. With the olive branch in her hand and the
Prince of Peace on her arm, the statue was called (Our Lady of Peace). In 1657 the Capuchin community erected a larger chapel to accommodate the growing number of faithful who sought her intercession. On July 9 that year, before a large crowd which included King
Louis XIV, the
papal nuncio to France blessed and solemnly enthroned the Virgin's statue.
Pope Alexander VII would later designate this date for the Capuchin community to celebrate the feast of Our Lady of Peace.
El Salvador in
Nazareth,
Israel. Tradition holds that in 1682 merchants found an abandoned box on the shore of Mar del Sur in El Salvador. Unable to open it, they tied the box on the back of a donkey and departed to inform the local authorities of their find. When they were passing the parish church, now a cathedral, the donkey laid on the ground. They were then able to open the box and were surprised that it contained an image of Our Lady holding the Christ Child. It is said that a bloody conflict was being fought among inhabitants of the region; when they heard of the discovery they put down their weapons and immediately ceased fighting. This is why the image was given the title of Our Lady of Peace, whose liturgical celebration is November 21 in memory of its arrival in San Miguel.
Óscar Romero, a renowned Salvadoran saint and Bishop, promoted devotion to Our Lady of Peace. The statue is a dressed wooden carving, with the national shield of El Salvador embroidered on the front of the image's white robe. Our Lady holds a golden palm leaf in memory of the eruption of the
Chaparrastique volcano, which threatened to destroy the city with burning lava. The frightened dwellers of
San Miguel brought out the statue of Our Lady of Peace to the principal door of the cathedral, and immediately the flow of the lava changed direction to travel away from the city.
Pope Benedict XV authorized the
canonical coronation of the image, which occurred on November 21, 1921.
United States In Hawaii, the title is translated as
Malia O Ka Malu. While most of the world celebrates Our Lady of Peace on July 9, the United States celebrates her on January 24. This coincides with the erection of the
Diocese of Honolulu in 1941 by
Pope Pius XII. ==Patronage==