Notre Dame des Neiges / Our Lady of the Snows (Col de Bavellas, Corsica) - Statues of Religious Figures on Waymarking.com

Beautiful mountain area of Aiguilles de Bavella massif is sourrounding the Col de Bavella (Bavella Pass; 1218 m). Here, in kingdom of maritime pines and picturesque rocky spires stands notable, 3 m tall white statue of Our Lady (Notre Dame des Neiges) which is important target of Corsican and French pilgrims. Countless stone tablets with thanksgivings surround the stone pile which is a pedestal of the statue.

The Blessed Virgin Mary (Our Lady or also Blessed Virgin or the Virgin Mary) is a traditional title used by most Christians to describe Mary, the mother of Jesus Christ. Since the 1st century, devotion to the Virgin Mary has been a major element of the spiritual life of a vast number of Christians, primarily in Catholicism. From the Council of Ephesus in 431 to Vatican II and Pope John Paul II's encyclical Redemptoris Mater, the Virgin Mary has come to be seen not only as the Mother of God but also as the Mother of the Church. The key role of the Virgin Mary in the beliefs of many Christians, her veneration, and the growth of Mariology have not only come about by the Marian writings of the saints or official statements but have often been driven from the ground up, from the masses of believers, and at times via reported Marian apparitions, miracles and healings. (wiki)

Our Lady of the Snows is a feast celebrated on 5 August to commemorate the dedication of the church of Santa Maria Maggiore on the Esquiline Hill in Rome. The church was originally built by Pope Liberius (352-366) and was called after him "Basilica Liberii" or "Liberiana". It was restored by Pope Pope Sixtus III (432-440) and dedicated to Our Lady. From that time on it was known as "Basilica S. Mariæ" or "Mariæ Majoris"; since the 7th century it was known also as "Maria ad Præsepe". The appellation "ad Nives" (of the snow) originated a few hundred years later, as did also the legend which gave this name to the church. The legend runs thus: During the pontificate of Liberius, the Roman patrician John and his wife, who were without heirs, made a vow to donate their possessions to Our lady. They prayed to her that she might make known to them in what manner they were to dispose of their property in her honour. On 5 August, during the night, snow fell on the summit of the Esquiline Hill and, in obedience to a vision which they had the same night, they built a) basilica, in honour of Our Lady, on the spot which was covered with snow. From the fact that no mention whatever is made of this alleged miracle until a few hundred years later, not even by Sixtus III in his eight-lined dedicatory inscription it would seem that the legend has no historical basis. Originally the feast was celebrated only at St. Maria Maggiore; in the 14nth century it was extended to all the churches of Rome and finally it was made a universal feast by Pius V. Clement VIII raised it from a feast of double rite to double major.