العربية
中国
Français
Deutsch
Ελληνική
हिन्दी
Italiano
日本語
Português
Русский
EspañolSANCTUARY OF MONTE SANT'ANGELO
(Redirected from Monte Sant\'Angelo sul Gargano)
The 'Sanctuary of Monte Sant'Angelo sul Gargano', sometimes called simply 'Monte Gargano', is the oldest shrine in Western Europe dedicated to the archangel Michael. It is located at on Mount Gargano, Italy, part of the commune of Monte Sant'Angelo, in the province of Foggia, northern Apulia (Italy). The historic site and its environs are protected by the Parco Nazionale del Gargano.
The legend of the Archangel's apparition at Gargano is related in the Roman Breviary for May 8. According to the ''Catholic Encyclopedia'', in Michael's veneration at Monte Gargano (''Garganus Mons''), "his original glory as patron in war was restored to him," for the earlier shrine, at Chonae near Colossae, east of Laodicea (modern Khonas, east of Denizli) on the Lycus in Phrygia, was dedicated to him as healer; it is still the site of a miraculous church of St. Michael.
The first apparitions of the archangel Michael in Western Europe were granted to the Bishop of Sipontum (rebuilt in 1256 as Manfredonia), in Apulia. Three times the Archangel appeared, nightly, the last time on September 29, 493, the bishop reported. The Archangel indicated the transformation into a Christian church of a grotto sacred to Mithras, on ''Monte Tumba''[1]. Miraculously, when the bishop and companions arrived, a purple cloth was already laid as for an altar, and the archangel's footprint was preserved in the rock.
The ''Golden Legend'' (''Legenda Aurea''), the compendium of Christian mythology compiled by Jacobus de Varagine between 1260-1275, narrates the first of the apparitions of Michael:
Pope Gelasius I (reigned 492-496) directed that a basilica be erected enclosing the space. The 'Basilica di San Giovanni in Tumba' is the final resting-place of the Lombard king Rothari (d. 652); the designation "tumba" is now applied to the cupola on squinches.[2]
To Michael's dramatic later intercession, appearing with flaming sword atop the mountain, in the midst of a storm on the eve of the battle, the Lombards of Sipontum attributed their victory (May 8, 663) over the Greeks loyal to the Byzantine emperor, and so, in commemoration of this victory, the church of Sipontum instituted a special feast honoring the Archangel, on May 8, which then spread throughout the Catholic Church. Since the time of Pius V it has been formalized as ''Apparitio S. Michaelis'' although it originally did not commemorate the apparition, but the victory of the barbarian Lombards over the Orthodox Greeks, faithful subjects of the Byzantine Emperor in the East and the patriarch of Constantinople, and thorns in the papal side.
Christened "Monte Sant' Angelo", the site attracted pilgrims from near and far. Throughout its history the shrine at Monte Gargano has been visited by popes emperors and saints: Bernard of Clairvaux, Thomas Aquinas, Birgitta of Sweden— but when Francis of Assisi went, he declined to enter the grotto itself.
The complex of buildings consists of the Battistero di San Giovanni in Tumba, damaged in 1942, and the Church of Santa Maria Maggiore. The baptistery presents a rectangular storey on which rests an octagon supporting an elliptical section and a high drum that supports the cupola. The church erected in the eleventh century by Archbishop Leone stands upon the remains of an ancient necropolis. A few remnants attest to its once-rich fresco decoration.
The Castello was enlarged by the Normans upon an episcopal residence of Orso, Bishop of Benevento, to provide a suitable seat for the Honor Montis Sancti Angeli, further modified by Frederick II.[3] The massive, octagonal campanile was built in the late 13th century by Emperor Frederick II of Sicily as a watchtower. It was turned into a bell tower by Charles I of Anjou.
Behind a forecourt the sanctuary presents a portico of two Gothic arches, the right one of 1395 by the local architect Simone, the left one a reconstruction of 1865. From the portico steps lead down to the low arched nave. The cavern can be accessed from a Romanesque portal, called the ''Portale del Toro'' ("Gate of the Bull"): the doors, in bronze, were made in Constantinople in 1076, the donation of an Amalfitan noble. They are divided in 24 panels portraying episodes of angels from the Old and New Testaments.
The archaic cavern opening to the left, with its holy well, is full of votive offerings, especially the 12th century marble bishop's throne supported on crouching lions.[4] Among the ''ex voto'' objects is a statue of the Archangel by Andrea Sansovino.
1. See the Latin hagiographical account, "Apparitio de Sancti Michaelis in Monte Tumba", ''Acta Sanctorum'', September vol. 8, pp. 76-79.
2. "La Tomba di Rotari è un battistero del XII secolo con copertura a cupola (o Tumba)." [1]
3. [2]
4. The votive offerings have been studied in Giovanni Battista Bronzini, ''Ex voto e Santuari in Puglia: 1. Il Gargano'' (Florence:Olschki) 1993.
★ Jacopus de Voragine, ''Golden Legend'': Saint Michael
★ Selected modern bibliography
★ Virtual tour of the Sanctuary
★ Monte Sant’Angelo & the Gargano Photos
Arnold, J.C. "Arcadia Becomes Jerusalem: Angelic Caverns and Shrine Conversion at Monte Gargano." ''Speculum'' vol. 75 (July 2000), pp. 567-88
N. Everett, "The ''Liber de apparitione S. Michaelis in Monte Gargano'' and the hagiography of dispossession", ''Analecta Bollandiana'' 120 (2002), 364-391. (Argues that the ''Liber'' reflects conflict between the churches of Siponto and Benevento over control of the Gargano shrine, and that the ''Liber'' dates c.663-750).
The 'Sanctuary of Monte Sant'Angelo sul Gargano', sometimes called simply 'Monte Gargano', is the oldest shrine in Western Europe dedicated to the archangel Michael. It is located at on Mount Gargano, Italy, part of the commune of Monte Sant'Angelo, in the province of Foggia, northern Apulia (Italy). The historic site and its environs are protected by the Parco Nazionale del Gargano.
| Contents |
| History |
| Architecture |
| Notes |
| External links |
| Reference |
History
The legend of the Archangel's apparition at Gargano is related in the Roman Breviary for May 8. According to the ''Catholic Encyclopedia'', in Michael's veneration at Monte Gargano (''Garganus Mons''), "his original glory as patron in war was restored to him," for the earlier shrine, at Chonae near Colossae, east of Laodicea (modern Khonas, east of Denizli) on the Lycus in Phrygia, was dedicated to him as healer; it is still the site of a miraculous church of St. Michael.
The first apparitions of the archangel Michael in Western Europe were granted to the Bishop of Sipontum (rebuilt in 1256 as Manfredonia), in Apulia. Three times the Archangel appeared, nightly, the last time on September 29, 493, the bishop reported. The Archangel indicated the transformation into a Christian church of a grotto sacred to Mithras, on ''Monte Tumba''[1]. Miraculously, when the bishop and companions arrived, a purple cloth was already laid as for an altar, and the archangel's footprint was preserved in the rock.
The ''Golden Legend'' (''Legenda Aurea''), the compendium of Christian mythology compiled by Jacobus de Varagine between 1260-1275, narrates the first of the apparitions of Michael:
Pope Gelasius I (reigned 492-496) directed that a basilica be erected enclosing the space. The 'Basilica di San Giovanni in Tumba' is the final resting-place of the Lombard king Rothari (d. 652); the designation "tumba" is now applied to the cupola on squinches.[2]
To Michael's dramatic later intercession, appearing with flaming sword atop the mountain, in the midst of a storm on the eve of the battle, the Lombards of Sipontum attributed their victory (May 8, 663) over the Greeks loyal to the Byzantine emperor, and so, in commemoration of this victory, the church of Sipontum instituted a special feast honoring the Archangel, on May 8, which then spread throughout the Catholic Church. Since the time of Pius V it has been formalized as ''Apparitio S. Michaelis'' although it originally did not commemorate the apparition, but the victory of the barbarian Lombards over the Orthodox Greeks, faithful subjects of the Byzantine Emperor in the East and the patriarch of Constantinople, and thorns in the papal side.
Christened "Monte Sant' Angelo", the site attracted pilgrims from near and far. Throughout its history the shrine at Monte Gargano has been visited by popes emperors and saints: Bernard of Clairvaux, Thomas Aquinas, Birgitta of Sweden— but when Francis of Assisi went, he declined to enter the grotto itself.
Architecture
The complex of buildings consists of the Battistero di San Giovanni in Tumba, damaged in 1942, and the Church of Santa Maria Maggiore. The baptistery presents a rectangular storey on which rests an octagon supporting an elliptical section and a high drum that supports the cupola. The church erected in the eleventh century by Archbishop Leone stands upon the remains of an ancient necropolis. A few remnants attest to its once-rich fresco decoration.
The Castello was enlarged by the Normans upon an episcopal residence of Orso, Bishop of Benevento, to provide a suitable seat for the Honor Montis Sancti Angeli, further modified by Frederick II.[3] The massive, octagonal campanile was built in the late 13th century by Emperor Frederick II of Sicily as a watchtower. It was turned into a bell tower by Charles I of Anjou.
Behind a forecourt the sanctuary presents a portico of two Gothic arches, the right one of 1395 by the local architect Simone, the left one a reconstruction of 1865. From the portico steps lead down to the low arched nave. The cavern can be accessed from a Romanesque portal, called the ''Portale del Toro'' ("Gate of the Bull"): the doors, in bronze, were made in Constantinople in 1076, the donation of an Amalfitan noble. They are divided in 24 panels portraying episodes of angels from the Old and New Testaments.
The archaic cavern opening to the left, with its holy well, is full of votive offerings, especially the 12th century marble bishop's throne supported on crouching lions.[4] Among the ''ex voto'' objects is a statue of the Archangel by Andrea Sansovino.
Notes
1. See the Latin hagiographical account, "Apparitio de Sancti Michaelis in Monte Tumba", ''Acta Sanctorum'', September vol. 8, pp. 76-79.
2. "La Tomba di Rotari è un battistero del XII secolo con copertura a cupola (o Tumba)." [1]
3. [2]
4. The votive offerings have been studied in Giovanni Battista Bronzini, ''Ex voto e Santuari in Puglia: 1. Il Gargano'' (Florence:Olschki) 1993.
External links
★ Jacopus de Voragine, ''Golden Legend'': Saint Michael
★ Selected modern bibliography
★ Virtual tour of the Sanctuary
★ Monte Sant’Angelo & the Gargano Photos
Reference
Arnold, J.C. "Arcadia Becomes Jerusalem: Angelic Caverns and Shrine Conversion at Monte Gargano." ''Speculum'' vol. 75 (July 2000), pp. 567-88
N. Everett, "The ''Liber de apparitione S. Michaelis in Monte Gargano'' and the hagiography of dispossession", ''Analecta Bollandiana'' 120 (2002), 364-391. (Argues that the ''Liber'' reflects conflict between the churches of Siponto and Benevento over control of the Gargano shrine, and that the ''Liber'' dates c.663-750).
This article provided by Wikipedia. To edit the contents of this article, click here for original source.
psst.. try this: add to faves
