Tetraptych Apparitions of the Sacred Heart
Acrylic on canvas, Lucy de Vregille, 2025,
Basilica Sacré-Cœur, Paray-le-Monial

THE COMMISSION

Commissioned in 2024 by the Sanctuary of the Sacred Heart in Paray le Monial, to paint the Apparitions of the Sacred Heart of Jesus to St. Margaret Mary, on the occasion of its 350th anniversary and jubilee year.

In four panels, the artist offers us an encounter with Jesus through a visual and intimate meditation of His Heart, burning with love for each of us. She draws on the writings of Saint Margaret Mary, drawing inspiration also from her intense feelings at the time of the Apparitions. In light of spiritual commentaries and the teachings of the Church, the artist immerses us in the interior life, creating a dynamic and emotional experience which closely reflects the message of the Heart of Jesus.

THE SACRED HEART OF JESUS

“This divine Heart was presented to me as if on a throne of flames, more radiant than the sun… with this adorable wound, and it was surrounded by a crown of thorns… and a cross above it” (St. Margaret Mary, Letter 133)

The wound of the Heart of Jesus is a gateway: “The divine love of Jesus invited my heart to enter through this wound… it will be my palace” (Blessed Bernardo de Hoyos).
Like the veil of the temple that was torn at the death of Christ, the wound reminds us that humanity was previously separated from God by original sin. Through his Passion, Jesus destroys this barrier, and the entrance to his Sacred Heart opens, without any obstacle, for all, for all time. It is an invitation to enter the Holy of Holies; enter into this Paschal Heart. To be in the Heart of Jesus is to be in communion with all the saints.

The cross is formed here out of light coming from the Heart of Jesus, which shows it comes purely from His love for us. Through His intense gaze, Jesus calls us out of the depths and invites us to meet Him. During the apparitions He asked St. Margaret Mary for a spirit of reparation, and as Bernardo de Hoyos, who also had visions of the Sacred Heart, in Spain, says: « Reparation is always the response to a love which we first receive. »

St. Therese of Lisieux explained it in this way to her sister: « I assure you that the Good Lord is much better than you think. He is content with a glance, a sigh of love… I find perfection very easy to practice, because I have understood that one needs only to understand Jesus by His Heart. » (quoted by Pope Francis in Dilexit no. 140)

THE SERAPHIM

« This divine Heart, it seems to me, desires that we have a special union and devotion to the holy Angels » (St. Margaret Mary, letter 131)

« These blessed spirits invited me to unite with them in the praise of this divine Heart: Love triumphs, love rejoices, the love of the Holy Heart rejoices! They would share in my love, suffering in my person as I would rejoice in theirs » (St. Margaret Mary, Autobiography 101)

The angels freely choose to love God, and this choice radiates throughout their being. They are pure, powerful, intelligent spirits: each has their own story with God. Here the Seraphim inhabit the fire of the Sacred Heart, and so they know the suffering of Jesus too, bringing Him consolation as in the Garden of Gethsemane. It is certain they make themselves present during the holy hour of Thursday night to pray with. The angels personally accompany us too in our suffering, out of love, (St. Margaret Mary calls them ‘my divine associates’) and I wanted in these two paintings to let their faces speak of this reality of love; joy and suffering.

THE THREE YOUNG MEN

« The three persons of the adorable Trinity appeared to me, bringing great consolation to my soul. My soul remained in an inconceivable peace and joy… They were represented to me in the form of three young men dressed in white, all resplendent with light, of the same age, grandeur, and beauty.” (St. Margaret Mary, Autobiography 59)

Margaret Mary was overcome with joy during this vision; it is this joy I wished to transmit, that of a God who gives joy, inspired by these words from Scripture: “to provide for those who mourn in Zion, to give them… the oil of gladness instead of mourning, the mantle of praise instead of a faint spirit.” (Is 61:3)

It is one of the lesser-known visions and never before represented in art. When seen in the context of the four pieces, it illuminates the Trinitarian dimension of the Heart of Jesus which is continually turned toward the Father, in the Spirit.

“I am the way… No one comes to the Father except through me.” (Jn 14:6)
“The Church does not stop us at Jesus Christ, but leads us to the Father. It is He who, ultimately, must be glorified as the original fullness” (Dilexit nos, 70).

The orientation of the paintings reinforces this teaching: the Heart of Jesus is the path to the Father and the wound of the Sacred Heart is a gateway into this Trinitarian life.

THE ARTIST

Exhibiting in Charente and Paris, Lucy de Vregille received the Symbolic Abstraction Prize from the École de la Loire in 2023. She sells her paintings throughout Europe. She says of her art:

« Through movement and the dialogue of colours, I want to invite you to dive into the spiritual, to experience a moment of contemplation. Dare to encounter. To experience a heart-to-heart connection. I find great fulfilment in working for the mission of the Sanctuary and in participating in the artistic tradition of such a magnificent place of pilgrimage.”

L. de Vregille