OUR LADY OF SWEAT (SALERNO)

 Day 11: May 21

Over the centuries, Our Lady of Sweat (Madonna del Sudore) has always been an object of great veneration by the people of Ravenna. Already in 1494, her image was remembered in the Cathedral of Ravenna when Canon Matteo Tosetti renewed, at his own expense, an altar in the cathedral dedicated to the Virgin: it was located, upon entering through the main door, on the back wall, to the left. Under the episcopate of Torreggiani, in 1659, a Chapel was built in her honor, where today the sacred icon is still preserved. If her cult has had, and still has today, its privileged context in the Cathedral of Ravenna, over the course of the centuries, devotion to the Madonna has crossed the very borders of the basilica itself. Within the city of Ravenna, her cult finds a clear echo in the Church of the Madonna del Torrione, while beyond diocesan borders, the Sanctuary of the Blessed Virgin of the Sweat in Castel del Rio, in the Diocese of Imola, should certainly be remembered: In 1675, Pietro Menghi from Ravenna donated to Pietro Monti of Castel del Rio a canvas copy of the image of the Virgin of Sweat that is venerated in the cathedral of Ravenna. He then donated it to the municipality, which took an interest in the construction of a small church.

The cult took root in the town, so much so that by the end of 1684, at the request of the municipality, the vicar of the Diocese of Imola, Monsignor Alessandro Fedeli, declared his willingness to participate in the expenses for construction, and on October 8th, with a solemn ceremony, the first stone was laid by Antonio Maria Manzoni, "priest and governor of Castel del Rio." There is also a memory related to the Madonna of Sweat in the church of San Carlino in Ravenna: The Renaissance tabernacle located on the left wall of the small oratory, before it found its definitive placement in this location, was originally in the Chapel of the Sacrament, in the Cathedral, from where it was later transferred to the Chapel of Our Lady of Sweat to accommodate the image of the Virgin, placed in place of the tabernacle's door. As a memory of this Marian use, in San Carlino, there remains a marble bas-relief clearly inspired by Our Lady of Sweat both in the depiction of the Virgin and in the pose of the Child. The church of Our Lady of the Tower, as previously mentioned, is linked to the cult of Our Lady of Sweat. After the terrible flood of 1636, 'in remembrance of the scourge and for pious supplication, a small cell was erected, where the river had broken, precisely on the right bank near the tower, in which was placed a painted image on wood of the Blessed Virgin of Sweat, a copy of the one that was venerated and is still venerated today in the subway."

Next to this shrine grew the devotion that led to the formation of a Confraternity that laid the foundations for the construction of the Church of Our Lady of the Torrione, built in 1730. The image of the Madonna was placed in the main altar of the Chapel subsequently frescoed by Barbiani and enriched with the stuccos of Giuliano Garavini, in which the Father is shown in a glory of angels. The paintings are a compendium of Scripture and devotion: four clipei placed in the pendants of the vault depict a temple, a tower, a fountain, a well, thus making visible the grace attributed to the Virgin and invoked as Templum Dei, Turris David, Fons Signatus, Puteus Aquarum Viventium. This iconography is enriched by biblical inscriptions, always referring to Mary, placed within long scrolls along the side walls. On the left, at the top, is the text taken from the third vision of Zechariah 2:9: “I will be a wall of fire all around it, and I will be the glory in its midst”; there should also have been an inscription below, of which some letters are recognizable but do not allow for the reconstruction of the citation. To the right, at the top, is a text from the prophet Jeremiah 1:18-19: “I have made you a fortified city and an iron wall, and I am with you”, “Behold, today I make you like a fortified city (...) and an iron wall (...) I am with you”; below is an inscription from the Book of Wisdom 7:11: “All good things came to me together with her”, “With her, all good things have come to me”.

The wooden panel of the Madonna del Sudore revered in the Church of Torrione differs from the original – from a strictly iconographic point of view – by the crown of clouds that frames the Virgin and the Child, thus projecting the figures into an unearthly, unfathomable space, from which, by grace, the Son with the Mother becomes present in the time of history. The back of the panel presents a unique story of devotion; there are various writings, not all clearly legible, that show an affection and particular cult toward this image: '1830 I, Don Pietro Albonetti, chaplain'; 'I, Don Pietro Triossi, chaplain of this church, along with Don Massimiliano Ghigi, cleaned and organized the niche of the B.V. on October 15, 1841, under the priorate of Mr. Vincenzo Spallazzi 1841'; 'Reminder. This revered image was in the Archpriesthood of St. Biagio until August 1884, and on August 21, 1927, it was carried in procession to its temple, which was established as a parish. Fr. Andrea De Lorenzi was the archpriest of St. Biagio. Fr. Edoardo Castelli was the first parish priest of Our Lady of the Torrione. This latter inscription deserves special mention: it documents how the Municipality claimed the right over the building – the church – which, after being desecrated, was transformed into a lazaretto.

The walls were even covered with a thick layer of lime until, in 1927, under the episcopate of Lega, the church was restored and returned to worship. It was during this period, as already mentioned in the text on the back of the panel, that the image was brought to the church of St. Biagio. It is therefore not surprising to find on Via Maggiore, at the corner with Via Chiesa, a niche that houses the image of Our Lady of Sweat, which should probably be read as a memory of the stay of the venerated image in Borgo San Biagio. It should also be noted that images of Our Lady of Sweat can also be seen affixed to the facades of some houses in Borgo San Rocco. Three other inscriptions, placed on the back of the panel, deserve to be remembered: "On August 22, 1937, marking the first decade of the return of this venerated image to the Church dedicated to her, it was carried in a procession by the youth of A.C. Parr. Pier Giorgio Frassati through the streets of the Parish in a triumph of the people. The Parr. D. E. Castelli. Magnani Erio, secretary of Catholic Action Parr. P. G. F"; On 19. 8. 45, a solemn procession of thanksgiving to the Madonna was held on some streets of the parish for those who escaped the dangers of the war. The revered statue was carried by young members of the parish A. C. D. Edoardo Castelli, Giuliano Baccarini, Fausto Baroncelli 19. 8. 1945; On 29. 6. 1952, during the twenty-fifth anniversary of the establishment of the parish, a torchlight procession with the statue of the B. V. was carried by the young members of A. C. through the streets of the parish. Parish D. E. Castelli, Giuliano Baccarini presiding A. C. (followed by signatures that are difficult to read)

The Marian Prayer of Pope John Paul II

Mother of the Redeemer,

with great joy we call you blessed.

In order to carry out His plan of salvation,

God the Father chose you before the creation of the world.

You believed in His love and obeyed His word.

The Son of God desired you for His Mother

when He became man to save the human race.

You received Him with ready obedience and undivided heart.

The Holy Spirit loved you as His mystical spouse

and filled you with singular gifts.

You allowed yourself to be led

by His hidden powerful action.

On the eve of the third Christian Millennium,

we entrust to you the Church

which acknowledges you and invokes you as Mother.

To you, Mother of human family and of the nations,

we confidently entrust the whole humanity,

with its hopes and fears.

Do not let it lack the light of true wisdom.

Guide its steps in the ways of peace.

Enable all to meet Christ,

the Way, the Truth, and the Life.

Sustain us, O Virgin Mary, on our journey of faith

and obtain for us the grace of eternal salvation.

O clement, O loving, O sweet Mother of God

and our Mother, Mary!