Our Lady of Rossano

Italy (6th c.)

 

The cult of Our Lady Acheropita began in the town of Rossano in Calabria, Italy. In a small cave at the end of the sixth century, lived a Saint Ephrem, a hermit very  devoted to the Virgin Mary.

It is said that in 580, Captain Mauricio, cleared by the  winds reached Rossano. The monk Ephrem came to greet him: “lt was not the winds that led you here, but  Our Lady, for you will be appointed emperor once you build her a temple.” In 582, Mauricio was crowned  emperor of Macedonia, which covered part of the  territories that are now Greece and Italy. 

In 590, the emperor got Mauritius, Emperor of  Constantinople, to transform the cave into a shrine  dedicated to Our Lady.

 

Text and image used with permission.
Source: "365 Days with Mary" by Michael O'Neill

Download the free "365 Days with Mary" app

365 Days with Mary

Listen to "365 Days with Mary" each week on The Miracle Hunter® on EWTN Radio