The Crown of Excellence : Chapter 12 : § 5.93-96

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).

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

 93   In the Kingdom of Naples we shall encounter wonders in this matter of devotion to the holy Virgin. This is found everywhere but especially in the noble city of Naples which is the capital of the Kingdom. It will soon be 100 years since a certain writer called Peter Stephen composed a fine book about the places of devotion to the holy Virgin that in the Kingdom. He said that in his day there were 94 churches or chapels and of these 70 were dedicated to the MOTHER OF GOD. Since then this number will most certainly have increased and the devotion towards the Blessed Virgin is altogether extraordinary, especially when taking into consideration the almost incredible number of confraternities and congregations, about which I will speak elsewhere[1]. The Church of Our Lady the Great is one sign of the devotion of Saint Pomponius, Bishop of Naples[2]. There you can find an image of the holy vision Virgin which is said to be one of those painted by Saint Luke. Pope John II, who was a relative of Saint Pomponius, consecrated this church later in the year 533. The Church of Our Lady of the Cross was built thanks to the Royal generosity of Robert, King of Sicily. The prince was just, kind-hearted, devout, generous and a friend to men of letters. In short, he had those gifts and graces which the holy Virgin bestows on those souls who attract her particular attention.

Footnotes

[1] Part IV, c. 12. 

[2] Petrus Stephanus, lib. de Locis sacris Neapolitanis.

 94   The Church of Our Lady of the Assumption belongs to the Canonesses Regular of Saint Augustine and was built in the following circumstances. There were about forty religious sisters living in a house which was so dilapidated that it threatened to collapse any day. On the Vigil of the Assumption, the holy Virgin their patroness revealed to the mother Abbott that the following night the whole structure would collapse, apart from the chamber where she was and the one upstairs. Following this advice, the Abbess brought all her daughters into this room and the one above. Whilst they were praying, they heard the sound of a terrible wind, with rain, thunder and lightning. The storm eventually brought down the whole house except only for those two chambers where they were praying. For this reason, the sisters decided to build a beautiful Church in honour of the glorious Virgin under her title of the Assumption, in thanksgiving for the great blessing they received when they were all saved on the eve of that Feast.

 95   Before leaving this Royal city known for its devotion to the holy Virgin, I want to record here for the benefit of posterity the vow that was solemnly sworn in the church of Our Lady the Great on the very feast day of the Virgin’s conception, in the year 1618 A.D. by the Viceroy, the body of the University, the Court and the Militia of Naples. Here is a faithful translation into our language:

Dearest Princess of earth and of Heaven, we, 

Pedro Giron, Duke of Osuna, Viceroy of the Kingdom of Naples,

the venerable University of royal studies,

the Ministers of the Royal Council and

the Militia of this city,

– kneeling before your sacred feet, in thanksgiving for all the blessings we have received from your Majesty, and all of which we attribute to your singular kindness in the love with which it has pleased you to allow us to maintain the honour of your immaculate Conception;

– supported by the authority of Sacred Scripture, of the sacred Councils, notably the Council of Trent, of the sovereign Pontiffs and especially our Holy Father Paul V who has worked so hard and so happily for the increase of your glory, with the applause and support of the all Catholic people everywhere;

– here within your house and on this day so joyful for you and for us, we confess that your Conception was always immaculate in the eternal design of God, and we call on this same God who is your Son to witness that we resolve to maintain this truth, which has for a long time been engraved deep in our hearts, until we draw our last breath.

– we swear we shall hold and teach this in public and in private, and that we shall ensure all those for whom we have responsibility hold and do the same as us. May God come to our assistance in this and also these holy Gospels on which we swear. 

– submitting our prayer and this our vow to the feet of our Holy Father, Paul V, that he may be pleased to accept it and grant it a successful outcome by his apostolic blessing.

After this followed the vows and solemn acclamations they made for his Holiness Paul V and for His Catholic Majesty.

 96   Some distance from the city of Naples on the side nearest the sea may be seen the Church called Our Lady at the foot of the Grotto. It was built in the following circumstances:

A very devout man called Benedict was on his way to the baths at Puzzoli[1] on the feast of the Nativity of the glorious Virgin. The Queen of Heaven appeared to him holding her Son in her arms, on the same spot where the Church is presently located.

Petrarch writes that all those who travel by sea, when they pass this stretch of coast, routinely offer prayers to the Queen of Heaven and fire a gun salute to the Patroness of this place. 

In summary, everywhere in this part of the world we find hundred of signs of the honour the people have for the Holy Virgin and hundreds of places where she is especially venerated.

Footnotes

[1] Modern Pozzuoli. 

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The Vladimirskaya Icon. >12th century.

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.

 

 

Totus tuus ego sum

Et omnia mea tua sunt;

Tecum semper tutus sum:

Ad Jesum per Mariam. 

© Peter Bloor 2024