The history of the title of "Our Lady, Queen of Peace" dates back to the early 16th century when Jean de Joyeuse presented a statue of the Blessed Virgin Mary to his bride, Françoise e Voisins, on their wedding day. Unlike other statues of the Blessed Virgin Mary, Mary was depicted holding an olive branch in her right hand and the Prince of Peace - Jesus Christ - seated in her left arm. The statue became a family heirloom that was passed down to Jean's grandson, Henri Joyeuse, who joined the Capuchin's in Paris, France. The statue remained with the Capuchins in Paris for the next two-hundred years. It was at this time that the statue was re-named: Notre Dame de Paix - Our Lady of Peace.
In 1657, due to the growth of the Capuchin community, a new chapel was built and the statue was properly blessed and enthroned in that chapel by the Papal Nuncio and in the presence of King Louis XIV on July 9, 1657. Pope Alexander VII would later designate July 9 as the date for the Capuchin's to celebrate the feast day of Our Lady of Peace. No doubt, peace was greatly desired between Pope Alexander VII and France, especially after the pope's condemnation of Jansenism on October 16, 1656 in the bull Ad Sanctam Beati Petri sedem. Jansenism had a distorted and negative view of humanity and even taught that to say that Christ died for all men would be a semipelagian error. This Jansenist view was condemned by Alexander VII in order to uphold the goodness of humanity, especially in light of the redemption wrought by Christ. Yet, at this time in France, Jansenism had made many in-roads especially at the Sorbonne and among the intelligentia such as Blaise Pascal. Thus, the action of enthroning our Lady of Peace in the presence of the King of France, at that time, was quite a bold act and one that surely sought Mary's intercession to bring peace to this theological error of Jansenism.
In 1789, amidst the turmoil of the violent and anti-Catholic French Revolution, the Capuchins were forced-out of their monastery in Paris. Secretly, they fled with the statue so that it would not be destroyed by the impious revolutionaries. The statue was kept, in Paris, and entrusted to a diocesan priest, Fr. Peter Coudrin, who kept it hidden until the revolution was over.
In 1800, Fr. Coudrin and Henriette Aymer de Chevaliere became the co-founders of an institute of sisters, brothers and priests: the Congregation of the Sacred Hearts of Jesus and Mary and the Perpetual Adoration of the Blessed Sacrament. Fr. Coudrin gave the statue to Mother Aymer who brought it to their chapel in the Picpus district of Paris on May 6, 1806. From this time on, Our Lady of Peace was the patroness of the congregation.
The Congregation of the Sacred Hearts of Jesus and Mary and the Perpetual Adoration of the Blessed Sacrament were early missionaries to Hawai'i. There, they established the first Catholic church on the island chain and dedicated that church to Our Lady of Peace. When on January 25, 1941 the Diocese of Honolulu was erected by Pope Pius XII, the Cathedral was dedicated to Our Lady of Peace - Malia o ka Malu Hale Pule Nui. It is due to this date that Our Lady of Peace is celebrated on January 24 (January 25 being the Conversion of St. Paul) in the United States.
On July 9, 1906, in the name of Pope St. Pius X, the Archbishop of Paris ceremonially crowned the original statue of Our Lady of Peace, thus Our Lady, Queen of Peace. Later, during the terror of the First World War, Pope Benedict XV added the title: Our Lady Queen of Peace to the Litany of Loretto.
In 1989, Pope St. John Paul II dedicated a basilica to Our Lady of Peace in Cote d'Ivorie. Also of note is the EDSA shrine in the Philippines dedicated to Our Lady, Queen of Peace. Lastly, in the apparitions of Our Lady at Medjugorie, Our Lady assumes the title "Queen of Peace" through which she will help her Son to return the world to God.