Advent: Time of Mercy
Santa Maria Madre della Misericordia
Le luci delle grandi opportunità che la chiesa propone ai cristiani, come il tempo dell’Avvento, sono sempre brillanti e raggiungibili, ma la stella cometa che ci guiderà sempre luminosa, è quella di Maria Madre di Misericordia perché è alimentata dal suo grande amore materno che non si spegnerà mai.
Tutte le Cattedrali del mondo sono dedicate alla Madonna, con i più bei titoli che l’uomo possa trovare, ma alcune piccole o grandi chiese sono dedicate alla Madonna della Misericordia.
In Italia ce ne sono alcune che vanno ricordate non tanto per il loro valore artistico e la loro fama, ma perché ancora richiamano i fedeli a riconoscere e sperare sempre nella Misericordia di Dio.
Near Cuneo, at Valmala, 1380 meters above sea level, stands a beautiful shrine inaugurated in 1840. According to historical sources in the early days of August 1834, four shepherdesses between the ages of nine and thirteen, all named Maria, and Chiaffredo the little brother of one of them, while shepherding a small flock, saw a young woman in her twenties appear on top of a large rock.
As the girls will testify, this one had a red dress encircled with a yellow sash and a deep blue mantle, stopped by a shiny yellow button, on her feet simple sandals, with a crown on her head shining with light and her arms outstretched toward the shepherd children. From her eyes vivid tears streamed down her cheeks and a breathlessness almost prevented her from speaking as she turned her loving gaze now to one and now to the other shepherdess.
Out of fear, at first, the girls kept silent about the apparition, but then revealed everything first to their parents and then to the authorities without being believed. At the place of the apparitions, which occurred many times, soon a number of people joined them, including the father of one of them and a certain Bartolomeo Chiotti.
Bartolomeo, all hunched over himself due to a serious illness, helped by his son, went to the place, made a vow to Our Lady and immediately received the grace of healing.
Maria Pittavino’s father then, wanted to build on the spot a pillar with the image of the Virgin or a chapel, and Our Lady revealed that a church could be built on the spot because under that boulder they would find suitable sand and stones.
The apparitions were repeated for 50 days, the “Lady” appeared now standing, now sitting on the stone, now walking around without touching the ground, but always with tears in her eyes. Although the shepherd children understood that she was the Mother of Jesus, they could not give her a name. The boys had seen many images of Our Lady but none were like the woman of the apparitions, once Pittavino took them to the market in Venasca and on a stall they saw with surprise an image of Our Lady of Mercy from Savona.
Looking at her clothing and attitude, they recognized her. Maria’s father in agreement with Chiotti, then had a pillar built on the site of the apparitions and the image painted by the painter Giuseppe Gautieri of Saluzzo. Already many who frequented the place told of the miracles that had occurred, and so it was decided to build the shrine in which the pillar with the depiction was incorporated inside the church, where it can still be seen behind the high altar.
The image recognized by the visionaries answered the description given by farmer Antonio Botta who, while praying by the Letimbro stream on March 18, 1536, had seen the “Lady.” The peasant went to his confessor as he had been told, and soon the Curia and all the people of Savona believed him, but above all they wanted to fulfill Our Lady’s wishes.
On the fourth Saturday of the month the Virgin appeared for the second time to the elderly peasant with the same dazzling light as the first time, her hands spread wide and stretched downward in a gesture of mercy. Exhorting people to follow religious doctrine, praising the good work of the local fraternity engaged in spreading the word of God, he called for three Saturdays of fasting and a procession with all the people and fraternities. Before he disappeared he uttered these words of blessing, “Mercy Son I want and not justice.”
The local curia immediately accepted the invitation of Our Lady of Mercy and, despite initial opposition from the city authorities, construction of the shrine soon began.
As early as 1536 the first project was approved, later replaced to meet the needs of the many pilgrims with a larger one that also incorporated the hospice and orphanage. Among the works contained within are an altar by Gian Lorenzo Bernini, a large painting by Domenichino, an extraordinarily well-made wooden choir and, in the crypt, the statue of Our Lady of Mercy crowned by Pope Pius VII.
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These shrines placed in the most beautiful natural places have maintained the sense of humility that surely initially attracted the Mother of Jesus to these poor and unknown shepherds or peasants, leaving it to the generosity of the people to invite prayer, devotion and recollection.