Mary of the Day (July 20) – B. VERGINE DELLE GRAZIE, SUPERGA (TORINO)

by Posted on

During the siege of Turin, by the French troops, in 1706, Victor Amadeus II vowed to Mary to erect on the hill of Superga a Sanctuary as a spiritual defense of the City and imperishable gratitude for the powerful help that Mary had always granted to the his people. The small troops of Piedmont, aided by the Austrians, in a field battle were successful and Turin, with all of Piedmont, had secured their own freedom. The field battle took place where now stands the Sanctuary of the Madonna della Salute, in Borgo Vittoria. For a long time, Mary was preparing Turin to welcome and cherish the title with which she wanted to be honored one day: Mary, the Help of Christians.

The Basilica of Superga (also called the Royal Basilica of Superga) is a church that was built out of gratitude to the Virgin Mary by Duke Victor Amadeus II for the defeat of the French troops in the Siege of Turin in 1706. Before the decisive battle, the Duke climbed the hill to see the rival’s army and, praying to the Virgin Mary, he promised to erect a church if he were victorious.

 

The church was situated on a hill called Superga, which comes from “Serrapergia” – a Latin-Germanic name meaning “mountain among the hills.”

 

Sources:

http://www.latheotokos.it/programmi/FESTE_MARIANE/16—31-luglio.html

https://izi.travel/en/1be0-the-basilica-of-superga/en

 

Published by Fr. John Francesco Maria Lim