Our Lady of Tears (Foligno)
Foligno, Italy (1647)
A wooden statue from the seventeenth century is venerated in Foligno, representing the Madonna of Tears.
It is kept in the church of St. Augustine, after the original Shrine of Our Lady of Tears was destroyed during the disastrous bombing of the city in 1944.
On the evening of January 14, 1703, during the celebration of the feast of Our Lady of Tears, the city was struck by an earthquake that shook all of Italy, but Foligno escaped the violent earthquake and the statue was carried in procession for the first time on January 28 of that year, as a sign of gratitude and devotion.
The growing devotion led to the coronation of the sacred statue in 1713. From then on, every time a serious disaster threatened the city, the statue was displayed for veneration or transferred to the cathedral.
Text and image used with permission
Source: "365 Days with Mary" by Michael O'Neill
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