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Sanctuary of the Black Madonna of the Sacro Monte of Viggiano

Sanctuary · Viggiano · Basilicata

In brief

Festivals and dates

A statue found on the summit

According to the tradition recalled in Paul VI's apostolic letter, the ancient and venerated statue of the Virgin and Child was found miraculously on the mountain near Viggiano, the highest of the Lucanian mountains, revealed by a heavenly flame. The small church on the summit still keeps the hollow where, according to legend, the sculpture was found intact. Ever since, the name of Mary has bound the town and the mountain together, and the Madonna is honoured throughout the region as patroness and queen.

In 1890 the image was crowned by the authority of Pope Leo XIII. On 11 December 1965, the seventy-fifth anniversary of that coronation, Paul VI, with the letter «Lucanae gentis», granted the title of minor basilica to the church in Viggiano that keeps the statue for most of the year.

On 28 April 1991, during his visit to Potenza, John Paul II recalled the Sacro Monte of Viggiano, likening it to the Polish shrine of Jasna Góra; the sacred image was present at the celebration, in which the Pope blessed precious crowns offered to Mary. The devotion has also shaped the town's identity: on 8 December 1995, the thirtieth anniversary of the basilica, Archbishop Ennio Appignanesi, at the request of the town council, gave Viggiano the title «City of Mary». In the Holy Year 2000, on 8 December, the bishops of Basilicata gave the venerated image the title «Queen of Lucania».

Sources: Arcidiocesi di Potenza-Muro Lucano-Marsico Nuovo - Santuari (PAMI) · Paolo VI, Lettera apostolica «Lucanae gentis», 11 dicembre 1965 · Giovanni Paolo II, Regina Coeli, 28 aprile 1991, Basilicata

The Black Madonna, Queen of Lucania

The Madonna of the Sacro Monte of Viggiano, commonly called the Black Madonna, is at the heart of one of the sanctuaries most dear to the people of Lucania. In 1965 Paul VI described the sanctuary as most dear to all the people of Lucania and recalled the pilgrimages that reached it in great numbers, even from distant places, especially in the months that Christian piety devotes to the public praise of Mary.

The core of the devotion is the bond between the town and the mountain: every year the wooden statue is carried on the shoulders of the faithful from the basilica in Viggiano to the summit and back. The town has dedicated a large bronze monument to the bearers of the Madonna and to this tradition, the work of the Potenza sculptor Felice Lovisco.

The veneration is also confirmed by the titles the local Church has chosen to grant: the statue crowned in 1890, the church raised to a basilica in 1965, Viggiano proclaimed «City of Mary» in 1995 and the Madonna proclaimed «Queen of Lucania» in 2000.

Sources: Arcidiocesi di Potenza-Muro Lucano-Marsico Nuovo - Santuari (PAMI) · Viggiano - Italia.it · Paolo VI, Lettera apostolica «Lucanae gentis», 11 dicembre 1965

The mountain shrine and the town basilica

The summit sanctuary, known as the Sacro Monte of the Madonna of Viggiano, sits in a sweeping landscape within the Appennino Lucano Val d'Agri Lagonegrese National Park. Inside it keeps the hollow linked to the legend of the statue's discovery.

In the town, the basilica that hosts the Madonna from September to May is described in Paul VI's letter as a church with three aisles, a precious coffered ceiling and a dome, decorated with marble, gold and paintings; behind the high altar a gilded throne holds the statue.

Viggiano is also the town of the harp, a tradition dating back to the Kingdom of Naples: the large Piazza San Giovanni XXIII reproduces its shape, and one of its statues depicts a woman playing the harp. The town also has Felice Lovisco's bronze monument to the Madonna and her bearers.

Sources: Arcidiocesi di Potenza-Muro Lucano-Marsico Nuovo - Santuari (PAMI) · Viggiano - Italia.it · Paolo VI, Lettera apostolica «Lucanae gentis», 11 dicembre 1965

May and September: the Madonna goes up and comes down

Life at the sanctuary follows a rhythm set by centuries-old tradition. On the first Sunday of May a procession carries the wooden statue from the basilica in Viggiano to the sanctuary on the summit, where the Madonna stays throughout the summer. On the first Sunday of September the route is walked in reverse and the sacred image returns to the town basilica.

The route is about a dozen kilometres long: the road can be driven as far as Piana Bonocore, where a footpath of about two kilometres of hairpin bends begins and is climbed on foot; only on exceptional occasions are the clergy allowed to continue by vehicle. The town has dedicated Felice Lovisco's bronze monument to this rite and to the bearers who make it possible.

Sources: Arcidiocesi di Potenza-Muro Lucano-Marsico Nuovo - Santuari (PAMI) · Viggiano - Italia.it

Going up to the Sacro Monte

The basilica is on Via Roma, in the centre of Viggiano, in the province of Potenza. The mountain sanctuary is about twelve kilometres from the town: you drive as far as Piana Bonocore and then continue on foot along a path of about two kilometres. Remember that the statue is on the mountain only from May to September.

For tourist information the Municipality of Viggiano runs an Information Point, to which it has added a free guided tour of the historic centre on booking; details are published on the municipal website comune.viggiano.pz.it.

Sources: Arcidiocesi di Potenza-Muro Lucano-Marsico Nuovo - Santuari (PAMI) · Informazioni turistiche e visite guidate - Comune di Viggiano

The place

Sources