Chapter 12 : The Eleventh Star or Splendour of the Crown of Excellence of the Mother of God
Continuing our translation of the 1845 reprint of Fr François Poiré's Triple Crown of the Mother of God (1643 French edition).
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| Notre Dame des Grâces, Cotignac.(Poggi, 2020) |
She has been and is still recognized and called blessed by all generations in the world
§ 5. She was recognized and honoured by all Nations everywhere in the world
Italy
OUR LADY OF THE GUARD & OUR LADY OF THE DOVE
108 About half a league away from Bologna, we can see from a distance Our Lady of the Guard[1] which is one of the most famous centres of devotion to Our Lady in the whole of Italy[2]. It takes this name from the hill on which it is located and which is called the hill of the guard because in former times, during the wars between the people of Bologna and those of Modena, Parma and Reggio who had formed a league, watch was kept in a guard house on the hill to detect any attacks from a distance. On top of this hill there had stood from ancient times the Church of Saint Luke which was visited frequently by the people of Bologna. This church was to become more famous as a result of something that happened in the year 1433[3], as is reported by various historians.
In those days, Manuel Comnenus being Emperor of the east and Frederick Barbarossa in the west, there was in Greece a hermit highly reputed not only for his virtuous life but also for the graces that he received continually from God. This hermit went to Constantinople and entered the church of Hagia Sophia where he saw among several beautiful pictures an image of Our Lady, about three feet high. At the base the following words had been written: This image, which was painted by Saint Luke, must be carried to the church which is on the Hill of the Guard, and placed on the altar of the same church. When the hermit had read this inscription, he was greatly astonished, wondering what this place was that was called of the Guard, to which the image was destined to be carried. He consulted with the priests of Hagia Sophia but came away none the wiser. They told him only that they had learned from their predecessors that the image had always been held in great veneration in the church and this inscription was indeed ancient, but neither they nor their predecessors had ever been able to discover the location of this Hill of the Guard. After several other discussions, the hermit felt himself inspired by God and told them that if they were willing to entrust the image to him, he would travel to the end of the world to find out where this place might be.
Several writers have found it difficult to believe that the Greeks would have placed their trust in a man whom they did not know apart from (at the most) having heard of his reputation, and that they would have placed in his hands such a precious treasure. Nevertheless, history shows that is what they did and experience teaches us that there is nothing so easy for God to do than to bring about a change of heart in a moment and to make people do things which they later find astonishing when they look back. Sigonius, in his history of the Bishops of Bologna, adds that the hermit received a revelation by which he was warned to go straight to Italy and there he would of a certainty discover what he was seeking. Having received this instruction, he betook himself immediately to Rome, judging that it would be there rather than in any other place that they would be able to give him the information he sought. Now, God disposes all things for the fulfilment of his will, and it so happened that the hermit, on entering the church of Saint Peter, encountered a noble citizen of Bologna called Pascipo Vero from whom he soon learned where to find the Hill of the Guard and he obtained from him a promiseto take him straight to the church, which is on top of the hill. They set off on the journey and came to Bologna where Pascipo told the clergy and the Senate of Bologna of what had happened. The hermit was welcomed as though he were an Angel from heaven. The image was then carried with great solemnity to the place Heaven had destined for it, and from that moment onwards it began to be famous for all sorts of miracles.
The chronicler Bzovius has made a compilation of the principal writers whom I cited above. After a certain period of time, the Church which had been dedicated to Saint Luke changed its name and was known as Our Lady of the Guard.
In the year 1087 a young lady of Bologna of good reputation, called Angela, bade farewell to the world and withdrew herself to this hill, living in a rudimentary hut where she spent long hours in her pious devotions. Eventually, there being other young ladies who had the same desire as Angela, the Canons Regular of Our Lady of the Rhine in Bologna, to whom the Hill belonged, executed in their favour a conveyance of their title. As a result, they built a fine monastery on this spot. In the end, however, by virtue of the authority of the Bishops of Bologna, they withdrew into the city, retaining the privilege however of sending some of their number to take care of the church of Our Lady of the Guard and to apply themselves in particular to the devotions associated with the place. Those who who were sent there stayed no longer than a year, at the end of which they were recalled by the Prioress who sent others to take their place. In the beginning they lived as hermits but later they took the habit and the rule of Saint Dominic.
Footnotes
[1] Known today as Il Santuario di San Luca (o Santuario della Madonna della Guardia)
[2] Carolus Sigonius, de Episcopis Bononiensibus, in Vita B. Nicolai Albergati ; Bzovius, an. 1433, nº 379.
[3] Different sources provide differing chronologies. The reference to 1433 appears to recall the “miracle of the rain” which occurred on July 5th, 1433. Following a prolonged period of storm and rains, a procession with the miraculous icon was organized down from the Sanctuary and into the city of Bologna. The storm and rains stopped immediately, saving the crops and preventing a famine. Since that day, in gratitude to Our Lady, the icon is carried in a procession down into the city every year on the first Sunday of July. See Bologna on the Interfaith Mary site.
109 On top of another hill near Bologna is Our Lady of the Dove. This beautiful chapel owes its name to the following incident[1].
There was a certain lady from Bologna called Ricciola Galluci who was married to a citizen called Ottaviano Platesio. She had made a vow to build a chapel to the Holy Virgin on this hill and men were tracing out the area where the foundations were to be dug when they noticed a dove circling around them which seemed to be marking a particular area with twigs that it was picking up here and there. This carried on for two days and it was so unusual that they suspected it meant something extraordinary. The news spread and people came from Bologna to see the dove. Eventually, Bishop Victor and his clergy made the trip and he had the pleasure of seeing with his own eyes the dove which continued to to fly around, unaffected by the crowd of people watching. The Bishop quickly concluded that the Holy Virgin had sent the dove to trace the outline of the chapel that Ricciola had intended to build. Accordingly, he advised her to build a circular chapel in the same spot the dove had indicated. This she agreed to do and such was her diligence that the chapel was completed and ready to be dedicated on the first day of the following September. The numerous miracles that followed were sufficient proof that the Holy Virgin had chosen this place to be honoured by her devotees.
Footnotes
[1] Sigonius, in Episcopis Bononiensibus, in Victore Leander, in Descriptione Italiæ.
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SUB tuum præsidium confugimus, Sancta Dei Genitrix. Nostras deprecationes ne despicias in necessitatibus, sed a periculis cunctis libera nos semper, Virgo gloriosa et benedicta. Amen.
The Vladimirskaya Icon. >12th century.
Totus tuus ego sum
Et omnia mea tua sunt;
Tecum semper tutus sum:
Ad Jesum per Mariam.
© Peter Bloor 2024
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