Our Lady of Monte Berico appeared to an elderly Italian peasant woman, Vincenza Pasini, in the 1420s, telling her to have a church built on the hill to end a terrible plague that was afflicting the region.
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Our Lady of Monte Berico
Our Lady of Monte Berico appeared to an elderly Italian peasant woman, Vincenza Pasini, in the 1420s, telling her to have a church built on the hill to end a terrible plague that was afflicting the region.
Our Lady said to Vincenza: “I am the Virgin Mary, the Mother of Christ who died on the Cross for the salvation of men. I beg you to go and say in my name to the people of Vicenza that they must build in this place a church in my honor if they want to recover their health. Otherwise, the plague will not cease. As proof of what I say, let them dig here, and from the rock, living water will spring.”
Vincenza told the people, as well as the bishop and priests, but they did not believe her, so for two more years the plague claimed victims.
In 1428 Our Lady appeared to Vincenza again, and this time the bishop and priests believed her. They built the church on the spot and consecrated it, and immediately the plague disappeared.
In the image of the Madonna of Monte Berico, our Lady is wearing a crown and bejeweled necklace. She protectively wraps the children and people under her mantle.