Mary of the Day (May 1, 1486) – MADONNA ASSUNTA (Our Lady Assumed in Heaven) of LONIGO (VENEZIA)
The miracle
In the year 1486, three shoemakers lived in Verona: Guglielmo, Gianantonio and Giampietro. They all came from Novara and found work in the city of Verona, along the street “della Beverara”.
Giampietro had managed to put aside 50 ducats (gold/silver coins), which was a considerable sum for those times. Envious and greedy, the other two friends agreed to invite him to the Lonigo market of Venice, with the secret intent of killing and robbing him.
They left on the 30th of April (according to the historian Bertani, but others say it was on April 29th). In those times of violence, even the artisans were used to traveling always armed: Gianantonio equipped himself with a double-edged (pistolese) knife, Guglielmo with a sword and Giampietro with a dagger. They stayed in Lonigo and on Monday morning they went to the market where they bought, among other things, some white cloth.
After lunch they were already on the way back. Just a few kilometers from the town, near the church of S. Pietro in Lamentese, they paused from their travel: In fact, Giampietro abandoned the road momentarily to answer the call of nature. It was then that Gianantonio and Guglielmo put into action their murderous plan for Giampietro: Immediately, Gianantonio jumped against him and hit him in the heart with the knife; Guglielmo helped him, holding the unfortunate fixed on the ground, so that following stabs were made sure to kill him. After the assassination, they seized the cloth and the money bag and hid in the nearby church of S. Pietro to divide the loot.
They deposited it all over the altar and began to count the ducats (money). But Guglielmo, looking up at the painting of Our Lady of the Assumption, repented:
– We did something evil!
Gianantonio answered:
– Who could know about it?
Guglielmo replied:
– God and the Virgin Mary!
Gianantonio, cursing, concluded:
– If you believe that this Virgin Mary knew what I did, I would give her ten stab wounds!
While still speaking, he took the knife which was still bloody and hit the image in her left eye and in the chest. Blood gushed from the wounds and the painting changed its appearance: The Virgin unjoined her hands and lowered her head, in pain she brought her left hand to her wounded eye and her right hand on her belt near her chest.
The two criminals, frightened, fled to Verona, but the misdeed and the miracle were immediately discovered by the locals who denounced the incident to the authorities. The Veronese authorities managed to condemn and execute the repentant criminal, but the other brutal aggressor fled and was banished forever by the authorities of the Republic of Venice …
Immediately, the place became a destination of devotion and pilgrimage.
After the event, some wanted to shed light on the miracle, which prompted the bishop of Vicenza, Pietro Bruti, to start an investigation. By the year 1492, the investigation could be said to be concluded, by which seven witnesses had proved its veracity: the Madonna not only had moved but continued to work miracles answering the prayers of the faithful.
Prayer to Our Lady of the Miracles of Lonigo
O Lord,
because of Your goodness,
you decided to dispense the treasures
of your unending mercy
to those who appeal to you
through the glorious and always Virgin Mary,
our most tender Mother.
Grant us,
That we who devoutly venerate Her on earth
before this Her miraculous image,
to be made worthy to rejoice forever beside Her in Paradise.
Amen.
Source:
Official site of the sanctuary – http://www.madonnadeimiracoli.org
