Barbana, Italy
Encyclopedia
Barbana is a small island located at the northern end of the Grado
Lagoon, near Trieste
in north-east Italy. It is the site of the Santuario di Barbana, an ancient Marian sanctuary
whose origins date back to 582
when Elia, Patriarch of Aquileia
, built a church near the hut of a hermit
called Barbano. The island, which can be easily reached by ferry from nearby Grado, is populated by a small community of Franciscan
monks.
carried by the sea and found at the foot of an elm
after a fierce storm. At that time the site was part of the mainland: the Grado Lagoon was formed in the between the fifth and seventh centuries.
From the foundation to around 1000, Barbana became an island and the sanctuary was served by the Barnabites
. The original church was destroyed by floods and rebuilt. The image of Mary, too, was lost and in the eleventh century was replaced by a wooden statue known as the Madonna mora. This Black Madonna
is now housed in the Domus Mariae, a chapel
near the main church.
From 11th to the 15th century the sanctuary was served by Benedectine
monks. They were followed by a Franciscan community who built a new church in the 18th century.
style at the beginning of the twentieth century. Ancient remains include two Roman columns from the first church, and a tenth-century relief portraying Jesus. The crowned statue of Mary dates from the fifteenth century, while the seventeenth century is represented by several altars and paintings, including one from the school of Tintoretto
.
In the wood near the church a small chapel (the Cappella dell'apparizione) was built in 1854 in the place where the original image of Mary was found.
Grado, Italy
Grado is a town and comune in the north-eastern Italian region of Friuli-Venezia Giulia, located on a peninsula of the Adriatic Sea between Venice and Trieste....
Lagoon, near Trieste
Trieste
Trieste is a city and seaport in northeastern Italy. It is situated towards the end of a narrow strip of land lying between the Adriatic Sea and Italy's border with Slovenia, which lies almost immediately south and east of the city...
in north-east Italy. It is the site of the Santuario di Barbana, an ancient Marian sanctuary
Shrines to the Virgin Mary
In the culture and practice of some Christian Churches - mainly, but not solely, the Roman Catholic Church - a Shrine to the Virgin Mary is a shrine marking an apparition or other miracle ascribed to the Blessed Virgin Mary, or a site on which is centered a historically strong Marian devotion...
whose origins date back to 582
582
Year 582 was a common year starting on Thursday of the Julian calendar. The denomination 582 for this year has been used since the early medieval period, when the Anno Domini calendar era became the prevalent method in Europe for naming years.- Byzantine Empire :* The Avars take over the city of...
when Elia, Patriarch of Aquileia
Patriarch of Aquileia
The Patriarch of Aquileia was an office in the Roman Catholic Church. During the Middle Ages the Patriarchate of Aquileia was a temporal state in Northern Italy. The Patriarchate of Aquileia as a church office was suppressed in 1752....
, built a church near the hut of a hermit
Hermit
A hermit is a person who lives, to some degree, in seclusion from society.In Christianity, the term was originally applied to a Christian who lives the eremitic life out of a religious conviction, namely the Desert Theology of the Old Testament .In the...
called Barbano. The island, which can be easily reached by ferry from nearby Grado, is populated by a small community of Franciscan
Franciscan
Most Franciscans are members of Roman Catholic religious orders founded by Saint Francis of Assisi. Besides Roman Catholic communities, there are also Old Catholic, Anglican, Lutheran, ecumenical and Non-denominational Franciscan communities....
monks.
History of the sanctuary
The foundation of the sanctuary originates from an image of the Virgin MaryMary (mother of Jesus)
Mary , commonly referred to as "Saint Mary", "Mother Mary", the "Virgin Mary", the "Blessed Virgin Mary", or "Mary, Mother of God", was a Jewish woman of Nazareth in Galilee...
carried by the sea and found at the foot of an elm
Elm
Elms are deciduous and semi-deciduous trees comprising the genus Ulmus in the plant family Ulmaceae. The dozens of species are found in temperate and tropical-montane regions of North America and Eurasia, ranging southward into Indonesia. Elms are components of many kinds of natural forests...
after a fierce storm. At that time the site was part of the mainland: the Grado Lagoon was formed in the between the fifth and seventh centuries.
From the foundation to around 1000, Barbana became an island and the sanctuary was served by the Barnabites
Barnabites
The Barnabites, or Clerics Regular of Saint Paul is a Roman Catholic order.-Establishment of the Order :It was founded in 1530 by three Italian noblemen: St. Anthony Mary Zaccaria The Barnabites, or Clerics Regular of Saint Paul (Latin: Clerici Regulares Sancti Pauli, abbr. B.) is a Roman Catholic...
. The original church was destroyed by floods and rebuilt. The image of Mary, too, was lost and in the eleventh century was replaced by a wooden statue known as the Madonna mora. This Black Madonna
Black Madonna
A Black Madonna or Black Virgin is a statue or painting of the Virgin Mary in which the Virgin Mary is black. The term was especially applied to those created in Europe in the medieval period or earlier...
is now housed in the Domus Mariae, a chapel
Chapel
A chapel is a building used by Christians as a place of fellowship and worship. It may be part of a larger structure or complex, such as a church, college, hospital, palace, prison or funeral home, located on board a military or commercial ship, or it may be an entirely free-standing building,...
near the main church.
From 11th to the 15th century the sanctuary was served by Benedectine
Order of Saint Benedict
The Order of Saint Benedict is a Roman Catholic religious order of independent monastic communities that observe the Rule of St. Benedict. Within the order, each individual community maintains its own autonomy, while the organization as a whole exists to represent their mutual interests...
monks. They were followed by a Franciscan community who built a new church in the 18th century.
Art and architecture
The modern church was built in the RomanesqueRomanesque art
Romanesque art refers to the art of Western Europe from approximately 1000 AD to the rise of the Gothic style in the 13th century, or later, depending on region. The preceding period is increasingly known as the Pre-Romanesque...
style at the beginning of the twentieth century. Ancient remains include two Roman columns from the first church, and a tenth-century relief portraying Jesus. The crowned statue of Mary dates from the fifteenth century, while the seventeenth century is represented by several altars and paintings, including one from the school of Tintoretto
Tintoretto
Tintoretto , real name Jacopo Comin, was a Venetian painter and a notable exponent of the Renaissance school. For his phenomenal energy in painting he was termed Il Furioso...
.
In the wood near the church a small chapel (the Cappella dell'apparizione) was built in 1854 in the place where the original image of Mary was found.
Pilgrimages
Barbana is the destination of many pilgrimages, the most famous being the Perdon de Barbana which is held each July to celebrate the end of a visitation of the plague in Grado in 1237.See also
- GradoGrado, ItalyGrado is a town and comune in the north-eastern Italian region of Friuli-Venezia Giulia, located on a peninsula of the Adriatic Sea between Venice and Trieste....
- Shrines to the Virgin MaryShrines to the Virgin MaryIn the culture and practice of some Christian Churches - mainly, but not solely, the Roman Catholic Church - a Shrine to the Virgin Mary is a shrine marking an apparition or other miracle ascribed to the Blessed Virgin Mary, or a site on which is centered a historically strong Marian devotion...