Our Lady Protects Her Warriors Fighting Heresy

One day he defeated 10,000 heretics with a force of 500 men; on another occasion he overcame 3,000 with only 30 men; finally, with 800 horsemen and 1,000 infantrymen he completely routed the army of the King of Aragon, which was a 100,000 strong, and this with the loss on his side of only one horseman and eight soldiers.

Our Lady also protected Alan de l'Anvallay, a Breton knight, from great perils. He too was fighting for the faith against the Albigensians. One day, when he found himself surrounded by enemies on all sides, Our Lady let fall a 150 rocks upon his enemies and he was delivered from their hands.

Another day, when his ship had foundered and was about to sink, this good Mother caused a 150 small hills to appear miraculously above the water and, by means of them, they reached Brittany in safety.

In thanksgiving to Our Lady for the miracles she had worked on his behalf in answer to his daily Rosary, he built a monastery at Dinan for the religious of the new Order of St. Dominic and, having become a religious himself, he died a holy death at Orleans.

Othère, also a Breton soldier from Vaucouleurs, often put whole companies of heretics or robbers to flight, wearing his Rosary on his arm and on the hilt of his sword.

Once when he had beaten his enemies, they admitted that they had seen his sword shining brightly, and another time had noticed a shield on his arm on which Our Lord, Our Lady and the Saints were depicted. This shield made him invisible and gave him the strength to attack well.