The dressing of the Madonna, book presentation

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A special and heartfelt event for expatriates as well

It is a unique manifestation of popular devotion related to the cult of Our Lady of Mount Carmel, or the Dressing of the Madonna.

It takes place on the night of July 24-25 in Carmel Church, where the faithful gather in prayer and anxious anticipation for the arrival of a special robe.

It is the precious dress that Our Lady received as a gift from the Queen Consort of the Two Sicilies in 1858, guarded by an unknown person and brought to the church just minutes before the dressing.

Some women gather around the statue of the Virgin and, after slipping off her weekday dress, they carefully pass the precious fabric around her neck and slender arms. Thus, under the watchful gaze of the faithful, the Virgin gradually takes on the appearance of a queen.

This year for the first time, after decades of neglect, an ancient rite, the memory of which has almost been lost, is being reintroduced during the celebrations of Our Lady of Mount Carmel: the Descent of the Angel.

It is a religious stage play featuring a child dressed as an angel and a statue of a saint. The plot is simple: the angel, tied horizontally to a rope, flies down to the statue of the saint and addresses an invocation to him. The faithful, standing silently around the saint, let the words of intercession for a prosperous year be spoken by the little angel.

In this regard, a public meeting is scheduled for July 16 at the square in front of the Carmine Church for the presentation of the volume In the closet of the saints: the dressing of Our Lady of Mount Carmel in Campolieto.. Oltre a descrivere il rituale legato al culto della Vergine, lo studio ripercorre la storia della Chiesa del Carmine, dalla fondazione nel 1559 alla trasformazione dell’edificio in granaio dopo la prima guerra mondiale. Una sezione inoltre è dedicata alla sacra rappresentazione della Descent of the angel, told through the testimony of the last people who witnessed the event.