Holy Mary of Grace
San Giovanni Valdarno, Italy (1478)
In 1478, plague struck San Giovanni Valdarno. Monna Tancia, 75, was left to care for a 3-month-old grandson whose parents both died. On December 22, she searched the city for a wet nurse but found no one willing to come to the house. Stopping at a fresco of the Madonna on the old city gate, she begged Our Lady for help. She went home and was able to nurse the baby for several months. News of the miracle spread quickly and a shrine, now a basilica, was built. The image is also called the Madonna del Latte (Our Lady of Milk), although it depicts the child Jesus admiring a bird, not nursing. The Madonna of Graces was crowned on her feast day, Septembers, 1704.
Text and image used with permission.
Source: "365 Days with Mary" by Michael O'Neill
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