Scientific Proof--Our Lady's Triumph over Satan!

This past Saturday, Susan and I took a "day date"; essentially, a day date is a date that lasts the entire day (duh!).  We ditched the kids (who at 17 and 19 have learned to dress and feed themselves, though they might tell you otherwise) and did what all good Catholic couples do:  go to morning mass, followed by lunch, then a trip to a monastery for a tour, and winding up the day saying the rosary together before the Blessed Sacrament.  And it was a fun day.

Seriously, though, it was fun.  Since we live outside Washington, DC, we often take a Saturday afternoon and go to the Basilica of the Shrine of the Immaculate Conception; there, we pick one of the Mary chapels and pray, then stop by the bookstore.  But this Saturday, after mass and lunch, we decided to go to the Franciscan Monastery of the Holy Land;  we were last there eight years ago, long before we had any notion of becoming Catholic.  If you live anywhere near DC, you have to go;  it is truly spectacular.

Now about the title of my post.  One of the unusual features of the Monastery is in the side chapel dedicated to the Blessed Virgin.  The docent pointed it out, otherwise we would have missed it.  In one of the marble slabs at the base of the altar is the very distinct image of two fossilized snakes (actually, Susan and I both agree it looks like two parts of the same snake).  Now the docent claims it was a coincidence, and the Francisicans insist that the slab was put in place before the fossils were discovered.  I believe the Franciscans, but a coincidence?  I don't think so.  I think the Blessed Mother wanted a visible reminder of her triumph over the serpent, as promised in Genesis 3:15, through her son, our Lord Jesus.

Here is a close up of he statue of Our Lady:

Here is a close-up of the slab, which is in the floor to the left of the altar:

And here is the slab with the snake(s) outlined: