Sanctuary of Oropa

Coordinates: 45°37′42″N 7°58′44″E / 45.628333°N 7.978889°E / 45.628333; 7.978889
Source: Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.
Sanctuary of Oropa
Santuario della beata Vergine di Oropa
Black Virgin of Oropa
Architecture
Architectural typeMainly baroque
Completed1960
Administration
DioceseDiocese of Biella

The Sanctuary of Oropa (

Alpi Biellesi.[2]

Madonna Della Oropa

The image wearing its centennial crowns (offered by the local townspeople) of 1620, 1720, and 1820, respectively

The Black Madonna of Oropa, is a darkened wood pigmented statue of the

Madonna and Child
.

Legend

According to pious legend, a black wooden statue of the

Saint Luke was found in Jerusalem by Bishop Eusebius of Vercelli and brought to Vercelli in the 4th century AD[3]

The image was brought by Saint

Blessed Virgin Mary
that she willed a sanctuary be built there.

Local legends further claim that before the arrival of Eusebius, the Celtic tribes worshipped a black fertility god which was allegedly replaced by the present Madonna and Child image.[5]

The Black Virgin is also known as Madonna Nera di Oropa or María Reina de Monte Oropa, and she is the

patroness of Lomas del Mirador City, in La Matanza Partido, Buenos Aires Province, Argentina
.

History

The pontifical coronation of the Black Madonna of Oropa on 29 August 2021.

The sculpture is made of

cedar of Lebanon, with face and hands painted black,[6] and decorated with gold and gemstones. Despite the legend, in reality it "is a refined masterpiece by a sculptor from Valle d'Aosta dating back to the late thirteenth century."[7]
The statue is housed in the Old Basilica.

The venerated Marian image was first episcopally crowned by Bishop Giacomo Goria on 30 August 1620. The event is commemorated every 100 years since 1620 with a coronation held on the last Sunday of August. It was postponed for a year in 2020 due to the pandemic. Pope Francis granted an official decree of Pontifical coronation to the image on 5 August 2021, signed and executed by the Dean of the College of Cardinals, Giovanni Battista Re at the Vatican.[8] The coronation was officially carried out on 29 August 2021.

Santuario di Oropa

History

According to legend, a

statue, and was replaced in the early 17th century with what is known today as the Ancient Basilica. During the following two centuries, several other buildings were added to the complex, including the royal apartments of the House of Savoy, a big library and the Royal Gate, a masterpiece designed by the architect Filippo Juvarra in the 18th century.[3]

The Upper Basilica

The last addition to the sanctuary was the Upper Basilica, a monumental church built between 1885 and 1960 due to the large number of pilgrims visiting Oropa.[9] It can hold 3000 people and its dome is 80 metres high.[10]

In 1617, the complex of the

Virgin Mary
's life.

A new graveyard was built near the Sacro Monte in the 19th century, for noble families of the Biellese territory to build their family tombs. Some graves have

freemason symbols, such as Quintino Sella
's.

Devotion and popular beliefs

The statue of the black Madonna has always been venerated; several miracles and protections are attributed to the Virgin of Oropa. Blessed Pier Giorgio Frassati was known for his devotion to the Black Madonna of Oropa.[11]

During the centuries, people made

Bernardino Lanino
.

Popular belief says that the wooden statue has no woodworm despite its age,[12] the foot is not worn out despite the ancient tradition of touching it for good luck,[13] and that dust does not settle on the faces of the Virgin and of the Baby.[14]

Pilgrimages

Around 800,000 pilgrims and one-hundred pilgrimages visit the sanctuary each year.[3]

According to the popular tradition, the town of Biella made a vow during the 17th century plague and its inhabitants were spared by the infection. Following this grace, the town does a pilgrimage every year to the sanctuary in order to thank the Virgin Mary.

The evocative and ancient pilgrimage from Fontainemore to Oropa takes place every five years.

Nature conservation

The mountain area surrounding the sanctuary is included in a

ha (code: EUAP0882) named Riserva Naturale Speciale del Sacro Monte di Oropa.[15]

See also
Part of a series on the
Mariology
of the Catholic Church
Immaculate Conception
Immaculate Conception by Bartolomé Esteban Murillo (c. 1675)
Overview
Titles of Mary
hymns
Devotional practices
Movements and societies
Apparitions
Approved, with widespread liturgical
veneration endorsed by the Holy See:
Key Marian feast days
Catholicism portal

References

  1. ^ Dizionario di erudizione storico-ecclesiastica da S. Pietro sino ai nostri giorni, specialmente intorno ai principali santi, beati ..., Gaetano Moroni, Tipografia Emiliana, 1840; books.google.it (accessed in February 2014)
  2. ^ CTR (Carta Tecnica Regionale) 1:10.000, Regione Piemonte, Settore Cartografico and Settore Sistema Informativo Territoriale, 2007 raster version
  3. ^ a b c d "Sanctuaries and Monasteries", Regione Piemonte
  4. ^ Sacro Monte di Oropa
  5. ISBN 9783110435283
  6. ^ Krymow, Vincenzina. "Black Madonnas in Various Countries', Marian Library, University of Dayton
  7. ^ Holy Mountains of Northern Italy
  8. ^ Campanile, Emanuela. "Cardinal Re: Begin anew from Christ and bear witness to faith", Vatican News, August 29, 2021
  9. ^ History of the sanctuary, official web-site www.santuariodioropa.it (accessed in February 2014)
  10. ^ Santuario diOropa (BI), on www.camperontheroad.it (accessed in February 2014)
  11. ISBN 9781725250956
  12. ^ Trompetto, Massimo (1993). Storia del Santuario di Oropa. Biella. pp. 20–25.{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: location missing publisher (link)
  13. ^ "Santuario di Oropa (IV secolo) - Patrimonio dell'Umanità (UNESCO)". reginamundi.info. Retrieved 11 June 2015.
  14. ^ Roberto Allegri. "Il mistero della "Madonna bruna"". tonyassant.com. Retrieved 11 June 2015.
  15. ^ Riserva Naturale Speciale del Sacro Monte di Oropa, description on www.parks.it (accessed in February 2014)

External links

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