OUR LADY OF BELMONTE

Day 99: August 17

Our Lady of Belmonte, Valperga, Turin, Piedmont, Italy

In 1016 the Virgin appeared to a Benedictine monk, Arduino (formerly Count and Marquis of Ivrea, who in 1002 had been elected King of Italy by the princes intolerant of the German yoke) while he was lying seriously ill in his castle, ordering him to build three churches in her honor: in Belmonte (Turin) where the Benedictines were to officiate, in Turin (under the title of Consolation) and in Crea in Monferrato.

High on the hill, at 727 meters above sea level, clearly visible from all the surrounding area, the Sanctuary of Belmonte has been a beacon of Christian faith in Canavese for a millennium. Its white silhouette stands out in isolation at the summit of the characteristic mountain whose reddish granite , already clearly visible along the road from Prascorsano, and the vast expanses of pink sand on the northern slope, the "sabbionere," contribute to creating a highly evocative landscape around the religious complex. Since 1991, the entire hill, divided between the municipalities of Valperga, which owns the largest part, Prascorsano, Pertusio, and Cuorgné, has been declared a Nature Reserve by the Piedmont Region, which has imposed environmental, architectural, and archaeological restrictions.

The history of Belmonte and its Sanctuary has always been closely linked to the history of the Upper Canavese. The oldest traces of settlement on this hill date back to the first millennium BC, when groups of farmers and ranchers settled among the rocks on the southern slope, in a village whose abundant remains have been found, currently on display in the Archaeological Museum of Cuorgné.

The Romans, who had one of their main settlements right at the foot of the mountain, in San Ponzo, also left archaeological traces, but it was above all in the barbarian period that Belmonte assumed notable importance due to its strategic position: a fortified village, surrounded by three orders of walls, crowned its summit, affirming the Lombard presence in the Upper Canavese.

Abundant and unique findings, especially metal ones, have been brought to light, while a Christian cross-shaped brooch testifies to the advent of faith. Slowly, the darkness of history is clearing, and figures and characters begin to emerge: among them, that of Arduino, whose still partly legendary story is intertwined with that of Belmonte.

In 1016, towards the end of his life, the Madonna miraculously appeared to him, restoring his failing health in exchange for the construction of a church in Belmonte, which was duly completed just six days later, with the assistance of his nephew Guglielmo da Volpiano, abbot of Fruttuaria. Even the oldest documents confirm that as early as the eleventh century, there was a Benedictine cell, dependent on the female monastery of San Tommaso di Busano, under the jurisdiction and tutelage of the monastery of San Benigno di Fruttuaria.

The first buildings were erected at the site of the current convent during this period. The Madonna again miraculously appeared in 1326 to Guido, Bishop of Asti, a leading figure in Canavese history for his work of reconciliation between feudal lords. Through his efforts, the monastery was endowed with property, and noble girls of Asti origin settled there.

In 1477, the abbey of Fruttuaria , on which Belmonte had always depended, was erected in commendam; the monastery suffered negatively, and the Benedictine nuns, almost abandoned to themselves, were left without religious and temporal support. In 1602, following the decrees of the Council of Trent prohibiting female convents outside the city walls, the Benedictine nuns were forced to leave Belmonte: they had intended to take the miraculous statue with them, but a sudden darkness suggested that the Madonna intended to remain in Belmonte. Their place was taken by the Friars Minor of Saint Francis.

Over the centuries they gradually expanded the convent, completely rebuilt the church (1620) making it increasingly richer in works of art, larger and more beautiful, surrounded the summit of the mountain with the chapels of the Via Crucis (1712) and, what is more important, made it the spiritual centre of the Canavese lands.

The convent was suppressed during the French Revolution; attempts were also made to destroy the statue of the Madonna, which was taken to Valperga in mockery, but a series of exceptional events prevented the work from being completed. The buildings were also put up for auction in 1805 but were personally purchased by Abbot Giacomo Valperga di Masino, who returned them to the Franciscans. Suppressed again in 1866 with the Ricasoli Law, it was immediately reclaimed as private property and reopened in 1872, becoming a destination for pilgrimages and a constant flow of worshippers.

The friars did not remain isolated, but participated in the life of the people, not only through the exercise of their priesthood, but also through the help, counsel, and hospitality they always extended to those who requested it. Thus, all those persecuted during difficult moments in our history found refuge in their convent. Important chapters in the life of the Sanctuary are those of the solemn coronation ceremonies of the Madonna: the first was in 1788, and on that occasion the Vatican Chapter, having examined the testimonial evidence of miracles, officially recognized the supernatural virtues of the statue kept there.

A hundred years later, the coronation saw the church completely renovated: the interior was enlarged and embellished with frescoes of remarkable artistic value depicting the most important episodes in the life of the Sanctuary, and the façade was entirely rebuilt. The pillars depicting the mysteries of the Rosary along the traditional pedestrian route from Valperga date back to the same period, while the monument to the Penne Mozze Canavesane and the statue of Saint Francis atop the hill, his arms raised to heaven to sing God's praises and ask for grace for the inhabitants of the lands below, date back to more recent times.

St Justin Russolillo Writes...

"We unite ourselves, O Mary, to the Saints, to the Angels and especially to your parents, Joachim and Anne, to your spouse, Saint Joseph, bowing to you while we greet ou on behalf of the Blessed Trinity, full of grace in the Mystery and in the Privilege of your Immaculate conception, O Mary."

(Spirit of Prayer, trans. Louis Caputo, New Jersey, Vocationist Fathers, 1996, pp. 155-6)