HOLY MARY, AVVOCATA ABOVE MAIORI

Day 186: November 14

Holy Mary, Avvocata above Maiori, Monte Falerzio, Maiori, Salerno, Campania, Italy

In a panorama of incomparable beauty, east of the Amalfi Coast, on a plateau of Mount Mirteto, at the foot of Falerzio (1024 m), stands the Sanctuary of the Avvocata, near Badia di Cava, above Maiori. To those who climb Mount Avvocata from Maiori, the Sanctuary appears as an impregnable fortress, located at the top of a long rocky wall. Not many meters below it, there is a long cave, with a rather narrow entrance, in which the cult of the Virgin originated under the title of Avvocata.

On an afternoon in November 1470, Gabriele Cinnamo, a shepherd from Ponteprimario near Tramonti, while he was intent on grazing his flock together with the young Dattilo Parito, saw a graceful dove wandering around a high cliff surrounded by ivy, which repeatedly came out and returned to a bush that had grown at a fair height. Driven by curiosity, he tried in vain to climb the steep rock, but he did not succeed. The next day he returned with a long ladder and a good axe to clean the brambles and bushes and introduced his companion Dattilo into the hole who with a lantern could observe a beautiful and spacious cave, and nothing else.

The following night, however, while he was sleeping, Gabriel saw Our Lady in a dream, who told him: "Gabriele, leave the care of the goats to others; build me a chapel in that cave, and I will always be your Advocate."

The next morning Gabriele was perplexed about what to do, since it was only a dream; however, he decided to personally inspect the cave. He found it convenient, though damp, to build a chapel there. Not many days passed when, while his flock was grazing and he was intent on weaving wicker, he saw a mysterious light in the cave and at the same time heard the same words that Our Lady had said to him in a dream. Stunned by this obvious and categorical command, he decides to abandon the flock, puts on a rough habit, and begins a new life, calling himself Brother Gabriele. Having then obtained the authorization of the Benedictine Abbot of Santa Maria de Olearia in Maiori, under whose spiritual jurisdiction the territory is, he built an altar in the cave of the miracle, dedicating it to the Blessed Virgin under the title of "Avvocata".

The news of the prodigious event spread in a flash and immediately, with the help of the people, a church was erected at the top of the cliff with an adjoining bell tower and some rooms for the convenience of pilgrims. In 1508 these rooms were enlarged and enlarged by Brother Gabriele himself, to satisfy the desire of seven of his fellow villagers who wanted to give themselves to a hermit life like him. This is the first nucleus of many hermits who honored the Virgin until 1687, that is, until the coming of the Camaldolese of Monte Corona who built a regular hermitage there. The Camaldolese embellished the church with marble and precious furnishings; on 8 September 1720 the church was consecrated and dedicated to Holy Mary of Avvocata by the Bishop of Ravello and Scala, Mons. Guerriero.

In memory of the expansion and embellishment works carried out by the Camaldolese Fathers, a plaque was placed on the central door that can still be read in Latin today. It commemorates the discovery of the cave by means of a dove, and the construction of the primitive church in honor of the Blessed Virgin of Avvocata, by Gabriele Cinnamo in 1475, enlarged and embellished by the sons of San Romualdo in 1719.

Many miracles worked by Our Lady increased the devotion and participation of the faithful and so, in 1743, the Father General of the Camaldolese Order, Fr D. Clemente Orioli, delegated by the Vatican Chapter, crowned the statue of the Virgin, and the Divine Child that she holds on her right arm, with two splendid and very rich gold crowns. The Camaldolese Fathers administered the Sanctuary uninterruptedly for 120 years, that is, until February 1807, when, by decree of Joseph Bonaparte, they had to abandon it, giving all their assets to the State. Unfortunately, even after the fall of Napoleon, the Camaldolese Fathers never returned to their ancient hermitage, despite the repeated and insistent requests of the people. From 1807 to 1893 the ancient Sanctuary was a little neglected, although in truth, the simple but heartfelt devotion to Our Lady of Avvocata has never faded in the hearts of the people surrounding the sacred mountain.

In 1893, on the initiative of the oblates of the Abbey of Cava, to which the Sanctuary has always been linked since its origins, the church was restored and a small monastery was built, in which today the students and novices of the Abbey meet for a holiday period. Devotion to Our Lady of Avvocata is thus kept alive.

St Justin Russolillo Writes...

"Glory to the Most Blessed Trinity in you, O Mary! Glory to you, O Mary, in the Blessed Trinity, for your flight to Egypt with Jesus and Joseph, for your exile in Egypt with Jesus and Joseph, for your return from Egypt with Jesus and Joseph, for your stay in Nazareth with Jesus and Joseph, for your ascension to Jerusalem with Jesus and Joseph, for the loss and search for Jesus by you and St Joseph, for the adolescence of Jesus with you and St Joseph, for the years of Jesus' youth with you and St Joseph, for your interior life."

(Ascension, trans. Louis Caputo, Vocationist Fathers, New Jersey, 1997, pp. 396-397)