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Case of Les Trois-Epis, on May 3, 1491:

Case number:

ALSACAT-1491-05-03-TROISEPIS-1

Summary:

In the collective book "Mystérieuses Soucoupes Volantes" of the ufology group "Lumières Dans La Nuit", published in 1973 under the direction of the ufologist Fernand Lagarde, some "old" cases are noted, presented without making any broad assertions, and very summarily otherwise - generally without any detail.

It is said that a "dazzling light appeared to the blacksmith of Orbey, and in the middle, the Virgin...."

No date was given; but "as everyone knows", this well-known alleged apparition of the "Blessed Virgin", object of pilgrimages at Les Trois-Epis, dates from May 3, 1491.

In this dossier I summarize the "non-ufological" account of the event and question the relevance of having included it in a book about the "flying saucers".

Data:

Temporal data:

Geographical data:

Witnesses data:

Ufology data:

Classifications:

Sources:

[Ref. fle1:] FERNAND LAGARDE - LUMIERES DANS LA NUIT GROUP:

The author or authors indicated that the source is Guide de la France religieuse et mystique by Maurice Colignon [sic, Maurice Colinon], Tchou publisher.

[Ref. evd1:] ERIC VON DANIKEN:

[Ref. fgs1:] "FRANCOIS GARDES":

The author indicates that he thinks that sightings which had been interpreted in "a mystical sense" could be studied systematically taking into account contemporary UFO sightings; he cites examples, including "Les Trois-Epis", indicating that it is "impossible to approach in a few lines a saucerian explanation" of such appearances, that "scholarly works have tried to explain everything, even the inexplicable and the divine." He invites us to reject "purely parapsychic causes" and the "hazardous interventions of a driving God who, until now, it being said without the intention of offending anyone, has only manifested itself inexplicably."

[Ref. ldl1:] UFOLOGY MAGAZINE "LUMIERES DANS LA NUIT":

Discussion:

One may wonder why an alleged "appearance of the Blessed Virgin" appears in a ufology catalog.

I wonder about that myself. But since at least one source believes that this story is part of ufology, whatever the reason is, I also have to deal with it, to assess the meaning this "appearance the Blessed Virgin" case might have in connection with ufology, I need to see what this is all about before I can deny or accept the relevance of the story to ufology.

A part of the ufologists, usually those who consider the idea of extraterrestrial visitors false or stupid, blame others who do not agree to "ignore" or "silence" a range of "phenomena", such as the "apparitions of the Blessed Virgin." They consider that such events teach something to ufologists and that ignoring them is a methodological error, or a form of "closed mindedness" or even "stupidity".

So, they are wrong here, as I did not "reject" the matter without consideration, on the contrary, I looked for the best possible documentation on the case so that I can make a thoughtful assessment about it; and it is only after doing this that I state whether this case teaches something useful in ufology.

I should explain briefly to the possibly ufologically "novice" reader, the reasoning that some ufologists give to justify that a "Blessed Virgin appearance" would indeed be relevant to ufology. Many reasons are put forth, some of which are contradictory with the others. But they exist:

• There are "UFO skeptics" ufologists who say all UFO sightings are nothing but misinterpretations and hoaxes, who believe that contemporary UFO sightings are of the same nature as, for example, the "Blessed Virgin appearances" reported in the past. "UFOs and aliens" would be the "modern" versions, using the imagery of technology and space exploration replacing the religious themes of yesteryear, the whole having no other reality than hoaxes or misinterpretations of all kinds.
• Some ufologists argue that any "abnormal" event, thus "paranormal" event, is one particular aspect of a single phenomenon, that of "the paranormal" , Ufology should be a "sub-discipline" of the study of the "paranormal". Ufologists who do not recognize this are said to be "close-minded". This idea is often unjustified, we are not told what the explanation of the whole "paranormal" would be, we are not told what "theory of everything" would link all the "paranormal" together. The "trademark" of this school of thought seems to be the refusal of both the notion of UFOs being extraterrestrial craft and the denial that they would all be "explained" as misinterpretations and hoaxes. Sometimes, however, justifications have been proposed; such as the following ones.
• Some ufologists believe that all paranormal phenomena including UFOs and extraterrestrials encounters would have a single cause - except for the hoaxes and misunderstandings - : some "intelligence" coexists with us in some "other dimension" - whose nature is rarely specified - and this intelligence is not from another planet at all, although it conceals itself. It "creates" the paranormal phenomena in order to "deceive" us, to manipulate humanity to some end. They call it an "intraterrestrial", "ultraterrestrial", "paraterrestrial" intelligence, some claiming that it is a "giant thinking crystal at the center of the Earth" causing all this hassle "for the purpose of having us believe in aliens" - who knows what the ultimate goal of that should be - or "to make us more environmentalists" or whatever other goal...
• Some ufologists share exactly the foregoing views, except that they claim this "deceptive intelligence" which they claim to be the cause of paranormal phenomena in general would be an extraterrestrial intelligence. That is, "real aliens" would "show us" "fake aliens" but also the "Virgin Mary" , ghosts, poltergeists etc.
• Some ufologists defending the idea that aliens visit us claim systematically or occasionally, that all, or this or that "Blessed Virgin" case, had been misinterpreted in the context of religiosity, as it was actually an extraterrestrial encounter. The existence of a very small number of case where some sort of "Blessed Virgin" is seen with some sort of "UFO" - from a classical flying saucer from which the "Blessed Virgin" emerges, to some vague light in the sky seen more or less in the same area and more or less at the same - is used as argument.
• Other "ideas" exist. I was told of "random quantum phenomena" of the "reality" of the Blessed Virgin, I read two French authors who claim all the paranormal can be explained by a "germ" that would make people's infected brain "see things", etc. etc.

These are, in short, why visions of the "Blessed Virgin" are sometimes found in UFO literature.

The alleged events at Les Trois-Epis:

There are a plethora of non-ufological sources relating to the alleged events.

In summary, it is said that on May 3, 1491, the "Blessed Virgin" appeared to Thierry Schoeré, a blacksmith from Orbey in the Haut-Rhin.

It is said that he went to the Niedermorschwihr market to buy grain. Along the way, around 10 a.m., at a place called "Habtal" ("Valley of the Sparrowhawk"), he stopped to pray at the foot of an oak tree where in 1465 a pious image had been set after the tragic accident of a peasant who was seriously injured with his scythe and died, the place then becoming known as "the place of the dead man."

There, he then, allegedly, suddenly saw a bright light in the center of which he allegedly distinguished the "Blessed Virgin", dressed in white, holding in her right hand three ears of wheat mounted on a single stalk, and in the other, an ice cube.

(Other sources say that he was "dazzled by a brilliant ray of light", in the middle of which "appeared a delicate and vaporous form", namely the "Virgin Mary", "clad in long transparent white veils.")

The "Blessed Virgin", rather brutal it seems, reportedly explained to him that the ice cube represents the misfortunes that would fall on the region, namely hail, frost, floods, famines and other calamities, if the disbelieving inhabitants would not consent to convert and "atone for their sins."

The ears of corn, on the contrary, would symbolize the benefits that "God" would be ready to bestow on those who convert.

The "Blessed Virgin" then allegedly asked the blacksmith to hasten to tell the inhabitants that they must change their lives and come in procession to the scene.

Once he arrived at the market, Thierry Schoeré wanted to publicize this call for conversion, but did not dare to speak. The "Blessed Virgin" then allegedly sent him a sign: the bag of wheat that he wanted to load on his mount became so heavy that he was unable to lift it. A crowd gathered, people tried in vain to lift the bag, and soon people began to accuse the unfortunate blacksmith of witchcraft. This decided him to pass the "message"; whereupon he was able to lift the sack of wheat.

As early as the summer of 1491, a wooden chapel was built, then a larger one in 1493, consecrated in 1495, crowds flocked and many miracles were alleged there. We find the Chapel of the Apparition, 18 rue Thierry Schoeré built in the years 1952 to 1956. In 1967, a church was built.

The apparition gave its name to the hamlet Les Trois-Epis, shared between the municipalities of Ammerschwihr, Turckheim and Niedermorschwihr, about ten kilometers from Colmar.

Evaluation:

Probable legend, not UFO-related.

Sources references:

* = Source is available to me.
? = Source I am told about but could not get so far. Help needed.

• [mcn1] ? "Guide de la France religieuse et mystique", book by Maurice Colinon, Tchou publisher, France, 1969.
• [fle1] * "Mystérieuses Soucoupes Volantes", book by Fernand Lagarde with the ufology group "Lumières Dans La Nuit", Albatros publishers, page 282, France, 1973.
• [evd1] * "Miracles of the Gods", book by Erich von Daniken, Dell publishers, USA, pp 8-9, 1976.
• [fgs1] * "Chasseurs d'OVNI", book by François Gardes (pseudonym), Albin Michel publisher, France, 1977.
• [ldl1] * In comments by Fernand Lagarde in "Phénomène à Kaysersberg (Ht-Rhin)", investigation report by Jacques Journot, in the ufology magazine Lumières Dans La Nuit (LDLN), France, #221-222, page 32, November / December 1982.

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This page was last updated on February 14, 2023.