Basilica Santuario Madona Delle Lacrime
Basilica Santuario Madona Delle Lacrime
Syracusa, Sicily, Italy
Basilica Santuario Madona Delle Lacrime
"The basilica Madonna delle Lacrime sanctuary is a minor basilica and Marian shrine erected in memory of the miraculous tearing of a plaster effigy depicting the Immaculate Heart of Mary , placed at the bedside of the Iannuso spouses at their humble home in via degli Orti in Syracuse , in 1953 .
In 2002, John Paul II raised the sanctuary to the dignity of a minor basilicawith the name of "basilica sanctuary Madonna delle Lacrime"
Diagram and Description of Church
"According to tradition, the miraculous event was repeated from 29 August to 1 September 1953 in the general emotion of an immense multitude of faithful, in the house of the Iannuso spouses. Collected the tears were subjected to a scientific analysis according to which they would be human tear liquid. The devotion that followed was of enormous proportions. The small effigy of the Madonna delle Lacrime , first provisionally admitted to the nearby Euripide square from 1953 to 1968, was placed inside the sanctuary , in the current crypt and remained there from 1968 to 1994, before being moved inside the upper temple of the Sanctuary.
Sanctuary
"The work was designed in 1957 by French architects Michel Andrault and Pierre Parat following an international competition announcement but the structural works are by engineer Riccardo Morandi [1] . The construction began in 1966: ...
"The construction was completed after about 28 years and the sanctuary was consecrated, inaugurated and dedicated to the Madonna delle Lacrimeon 6 November 1994 by Pope John Paul II ...
Interior of Sanctuary Spire
"The structure is subject to various interpretations. The architects set out to structurally implement the concept of the elevation of humanity to God . In fact, the plant with its circularity wants to represent humanity that reaches out to God. Other meanings attributed are those of: beacon, identifiable with Mary that leads to the port that is Jesus; tent, within which the Mother welcomes her children to lead them to the Father; lily turned upside down, finally a tear that comes down from above seen in the dynamics of the impact on the ground." (Link.)
*****
Photos: Taken in October 2018 by RW while travelling to Italy.
Link: https://it.wikipedia.org/wiki/Basilica_santuario_Madonna_delle_Lacrime (translation)
Prayer
God, be with persecuted Christians throughout the world. Amen (SW.)
God, be with persecuted Christians throughout the world. Amen (SW.)