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The interior of the Sanctuary |
April 25th is the Feast of the Madonna delle Armi,* patroness of Cerchiara di Calabria, an ancient town in the province of Cosenza, in northeastern Calabria. The accompanying photos were taken at the Santuario Santa Maria dell Armi on the slopes of Mount Sellaro above Cerchiara. Built in the fifteenth century over the ruins of the Byzantine era monastery of S. Andrea, the sanctuary houses a sacred stone depicting the Blessed Mother and Child.
According to tradition, in 1450 a group of hunters from nearby Rossano were tracking a stag through the oak woods of Mount Sellaro. As they closed in on their prey the animal ascended the rocky ridge and squeezed into a small cave in the side of the mountain. The huntsmen followed the deer into the crevice, but to their surprise the animal was nowhere to be found; instead they discovered a set of wooden tablets depicting the Holy Evangelists. Excited about their discovery the hunters decided to take the icons back to Rossano.
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| Stone with the Madonna and Child |
The next day, however, the icons were missing. The men returned to the cave and were surprised to find the tablets exactly where they first discovered them. Three times the Rossanesi tried to bring the tablets back to town, but each time they would miraculously translate back to the cave. Finally, they decided to build a chapel outside the grotto to protect the icons and allow pilgrims to visit them.
During construction of the sanctuary an oval stone unsuited for the structure kept finding its way into the hands of a mason. Fed up with the troublesome stone the mason struck it with his mallet, splitting it perfectly in two. Incredibly, one side revealed the image of the Blessed Mother and Child, the other Saint John the Baptist. Sadly, the half with St. John is missing (some believe it was smuggled to Malta). In 1750 the Duke of Monteleone had an ornate silver reliquary made to properly display the sacred stone.
Over the centuries, many miracles have been attributed to the relic. The most famous taking place on April 25, 1846 when the desperate townspeople of Cerchiara invoked the Virgin Mary to help save their failing crops from the oppressive heat. Our Lady of the Cave immediately answered their prayers, saving the harvest and preventing a famine. Ever grateful, the locals celebrate the Blessed Mother's intervention to this day with a spectacular festival in her honor.
In celebration, I’m posting a prayer to the Madonna dell armi in Italian. The prayer comes courtesy of the Santuario Madonna delle Armi.
Preghiera alla Madonna delle armi
Vergine purissima, fiore di consolazione, luce del meriggio adorna di tutte le gemme, ci insegni l’umiltà del cuore. Davanti alla Tua immagine impressa su una pietra da mano non umana, per secoli venerata, fedeli devoti, ti invochiamo. Madre del silenzio, ci parli di speranza. Tu, nell’ombra dell’Altissimo, hai detto il tuo eccomi e sei redentrice insieme al Tuo Figlio Gesù, sole di giustizia giudizio per il mondo. Madre della Chiesa, in tua compagnia, rimaniamo nell’amore anche sotto la croce, quando tutto è perduto. Madre dei peccatori, ci richiami nel tuo abbraccio se andiamo per sentieri traversi smarriti dalle tenebre del dubbio e ci attendi, maestra della pazienza. Tu, Vergine dell’attesa, riempi i nostri giorni dell’opera dello Spirito Santo. Egli, con il Padre e il Figlio, ci genera come fratelli ci nutre di vita eterna ci sostiene nell’attesa del Signore quando verrà nella gloria per attirarci alla vita eterna. Amen
Notes:
* Armi is said to be a corruption of the original Greek name for the grotto, Των αρμων or Tōn armōn.
