marian anniversaries     july

Madonna dello Zerbion, Saint-Vincent, Aosta, Italy

A monumental statue of the Madonna tops the summit of Mount Zerbion in the Italian Alps. At her foot is an inscription from the Piedmontese poet Giovanni Calchera (1907-1994):  A Madonna who sows silver / opens her arms as in prayer / to protect the Valley and its people / in an eternal invocation of peace. The anniversary of the Madonna dello Zerbion is celebrated every year on July 29. The faithful set out the previous afternoon for an overnight waystation. In the morning they resume the climb, to arrive by 10 am for holy mass. The return is rewarded with a lunch of polenta, cooked in the open in antique pots. 

Sources: 

www.hotelpostavda.it
Photograph by Agnello St. Vincent from the township's website, www.comune.saint-vincent.ao.it
 

Where We Walked ~~~ Mary Ann Daly