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Santuario della Madonna del Divino Amore, or the Shrine of Our Lady of Divine Love, is a
Roman Catholic Roman or Romans most often refers to: *Rome, the capital city of Italy *Ancient Rome, Roman civilization from 8th century BC to 5th century AD *Roman people, the people of ancient Rome *'' Epistle to the Romans'', shortened to ''Romans'', a lette ...
shrine in the southern outskirts of Rome dedicated to the
Blessed Virgin Mary Mary; arc, ܡܪܝܡ, translit=Mariam; ar, مريم, translit=Maryam; grc, Μαρία, translit=María; la, Maria; cop, Ⲙⲁⲣⲓⲁ, translit=Maria was a first-century Jews, Jewish woman of Nazareth, the wife of Saint Joseph, Jose ...
that consists of two churches: an old church built in 1745 and a new church added to the sanctuary in 1999. The church was included by Pope John Paul II in the pilgrimage of
Seven Pilgrim Churches of Rome As the home of the Pope and the Catholic curia, as well as the locus of many sites and relics of veneration related to apostles, saints and Christian martyrs, Rome had long been a destination for pilgrims. The Via Francigena was an ancient pilgri ...
during the
Holy Year A jubilee is a special year of remission of sins and universal pardon. In ''Leviticus'', a Jubilee (biblical), jubilee year ( he, יובל ''yūḇāl'') is mentioned to occur every 50th year; during which slaves and prisoners would be freed, deb ...
2000.


History

In 1295 the property belonged to the Savelli-Orsini family, who built a castle surrounded by a boundary wall and protected by six or eight towers. The property changed hands several times and by the early eighteenth century the estate had fallen into ruin. One of the towers of a gatehouse, known as the ''Castel di Leva'', was decorated with a medieval
fresco Fresco (plural ''frescos'' or ''frescoes'') is a technique of mural painting executed upon freshly laid ("wet") lime plaster. Water is used as the vehicle for the dry-powder pigment to merge with the plaster, and with the setting of the plaste ...
, a votive image of the Madonna and Child. The painting, whose artist is unknown, portrayed the Virgin Mary sitting on a Throne and holding the child Jesus in her arms. A dove descends upon her as a symbol of the Holy Spirit. Local shepherds who grazed their flocks nearby during the winter would often meet here to pray the Rosary.Morra, Mario. "Our Lady of Divine Love", Santi e Beati
/ref> In 1740, a pilgrim was attacked by angry dogs near the gatehouse and, according to the tradition, was saved through the
intercession Intercession or intercessory prayer is the act of praying to a deity on behalf of others, or Intercession of saints, asking a saint in heaven to pray on behalf of oneself or for others. The Apostle Paul's exhortation to Saint Timothy, Timothy sp ...
of the Blessed Virgin Mary. Seeing the image, the man invoked the Mother of God for help. Immediately, the dogs calmed down and ran off into the countryside. Word spread of this occurrence, and the following September the painting was moved to a nearby estate called "La Falconiana", where a small church dedicated to the Virgin under the title Santa Maria ad Magos (St Mary of the Magi) stood. On Easter Monday, April 19, 1745, the painting was returned to a new church, built near the site of the old tower. On 31 May 1750, Cardinal Carlo Rezzonico (later
Pope Clement XIII Pope Clement XIII ( la, Clemens XIII; it, Clemente XIII; 7 March 1693 – 2 February 1769), born Carlo della Torre di Rezzonico, was head of the Catholic Church and ruler of the Papal States from 6 July 1758 to his death in February 1769. ...
) consecrated the altar in the church to Our Lady of Divine Love. The church became a site of pilgrimage. With the increase of devotion from the people in the countryside, the church was entrusted to a hermit guardian, the first of which was Pasquale Francesco. After the fall of the Papal State in 1870 and the confiscation of church property, the property again falls into a period of neglect and decay, although the devotion of the faithful to Our Lady of Divine Love continues. ''Sancte Marie de Divino Amore'' (in English: ''Saint Mary of Love Divine'') is a devotional title in the
Catholic Church The Catholic Church, also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the largest Christian church, with 1.3 billion baptized Catholics worldwide . It is among the world's oldest and largest international institutions, and has played a ...
for
Mary, the mother of Jesus Mary; arc, ܡܪܝܡ, translit=Mariam; ar, مريم, translit=Maryam; grc, Μαρία, translit=María; la, Maria; cop, Ⲙⲁⲣⲓⲁ, translit=Maria was a first-century Jews, Jewish woman of Nazareth, the wife of Saint Joseph, Jose ...
. The image received canonical coronation on 13 May 1883 and can now be used by the faithful when addressing Mary for intercessions under this title. In December 1932, a parish was established and Don Umberto Terenzi appointed rector and the first parish priest. In March 1942 he founded the Congregation of the
Daughters of Our Lady of Divine Love A daughter is a female offspring; a girl or a woman in relation to her parents. Daughterhood is the state of being someone's daughter. The male counterpart is a son. Analogously the name is used in several areas to show relations between group ...
. During World War II, the fresco was moved to the church of St. Ignatius. Pope
Pius XII Pius ( , ) Latin for "pious", is a masculine given name. Its feminine form is Pia. It may refer to: People Popes * Pope Pius (disambiguation) * Antipope Pius XIII (1918-2009), who led the breakaway True Catholic Church sect Given name * Pius B ...
and many Romans visited the shrine to pray for the Holy Mother's intercession that the city be spared. On June 11, 1944 Pius XII went to pray before the Image of the Virgin, surrounded by an immense crowd, and bestows the title of ''Salvatrice dell'Urbe''. In 1962, the Oblate Priests were founded, who since then serve the shrine. The pilgrimages increase, especially from Whit Monday until autumn. The shrine presently on the site is new, and was inaugurated by Pope
John Paul II Pope John Paul II ( la, Ioannes Paulus II; it, Giovanni Paolo II; pl, Jan Paweł II; born Karol Józef Wojtyła ; 18 May 19202 April 2005) was the head of the Catholic Church and sovereign of the Vatican City State from 1978 until his ...
on July 4, 1999. Pope John Paul II included the shrine in the
Seven Pilgrim Churches of Rome As the home of the Pope and the Catholic curia, as well as the locus of many sites and relics of veneration related to apostles, saints and Christian martyrs, Rome had long been a destination for pilgrims. The Via Francigena was an ancient pilgri ...
and the pilgrim itinerary for the Holy Year 2000, replacing
San Sebastiano fuori le Mura San Sebastiano fuori le mura (Saint Sebastian beyond the Walls), or San Sebastiano ''ad Catacumbas'' (Saint Sebastian at the Catacombs), is a Minor basilica in Rome, Central Italy. Up to the Great Jubilee of 2000, San Sebastiano was one of the Se ...
. Behind the chapel is a staircase that leads down to the gate tower where the miracle occurred in 1740.
Pope Francis Pope Francis ( la, Franciscus; it, Francesco; es, link=, Francisco; born Jorge Mario Bergoglio, 17 December 1936) is the head of the Catholic Church. He has been the bishop of Rome and sovereign of the Vatican City State since 13 March 2013. ...
visited the shrine on 1 May 2018 to say the rosary, marking the start of the month dedicated to Mary. On March 11, 2020, during the quarantine of Italy as a result of the novel
Coronavirus pandemic The COVID-19 pandemic, also known as the coronavirus pandemic, is an ongoing global pandemic of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). The novel virus was first identified ...
, Pope Francis prayed before the image of Our Lady of Divine Love during a video broadcast, saying, in part, "We entrust ourselves to you, Health of the Sick, who at the cross took part in Jesus’ pain, keeping your faith firm.... You, Salvation of the Roman People, know what we need, and we are sure you will provide so that, as in Cana of Galilee, we may return to joy and to feasting after this time of trial."


Cardinal deaconry

On 28 November 2020, it was made a
titular church In the Catholic Church, a titular church is a church in Rome that is assigned to a member of the clergy who is created a cardinal. These are Catholic churches in the city, within the jurisdiction of the Diocese of Rome, that serve as honorary de ...
to be held by a
cardinal-deacon A cardinal ( la, Sanctae Romanae Ecclesiae cardinalis, literally 'cardinal of the Holy Roman Church') is a senior member of the clergy of the Catholic Church. Cardinals are created by the ruling pope and typically hold the title for life. Col ...
. *
Enrico Feroci Enrico Feroci (born 27 August 1940) is an Italian prelate of the Catholic Church, currently serving as the parish priest of Shrine of Our Lady of Divine Love in Rome, Italy. He has spent his career in the Diocese of Rome, fulfilling pastoral a ...
(2020–present)


Interior

The miraculous painting is enshrined above the altar. The mosaics in the
apse In architecture, an apse (plural apses; from Latin 'arch, vault' from Ancient Greek 'arch'; sometimes written apsis, plural apsides) is a semicircular recess covered with a hemispherical vault or semi-dome, also known as an ''exedra''. In ...
are modern, and shows Christ in the centre, and the miracle on the left. In the crypt is the tomb of the married couple Bl. Luigi (Aloysius) Beltrame Quattrocchi and Bl. Maria Corsini Beltrame Quattrocchi. He died in 1951, and she in 1965. After their deaths, a beatification process was started. They were beatified on 21 October 2001 by Pope John Paul II, and this was the first time that a married couple had been beatified together. Their relics were moved here on 28 October 2001. The feast of Bl. Luigi and Maria Corsini Beltrame Quattrocchi is celebrated on 25 November, their wedding day.


References


Further reading

* *


External links


The Vatican: spirit and art of Christian Rome
a book from The Metropolitan Museum of Art Libraries (fully available online as PDF), which contains material on the Santuario {{DEFAULTSORT:Santuario Della Madonna Del Divino Amore Roman Catholic churches in Rome Roman Catholic churches completed in 1745 18th-century Roman Catholic church buildings in Italy 20th-century Roman Catholic church buildings in Italy Titles of Mary 1745 establishments in Italy