Our Lady of Berdychiv

Marian vocation of Berdychiv (Volinia)

En Berdychiv (historical region of Volinia, present oblast of Zhytomyr, Ukraine) is the Carmelite sanctuary dedicated to the Immaculate Conception of the Blessed Virgin Mary, which soon became the veneration center of the icon known as Mother of God of Berdychiv o Our Lady of Berdychiv. This church, of Latin Catholic rite and governed by the barefoot Carmelites, became considered the country's main Catholic Marian sanctuary. Berdychiv has often been called the "Marian capital" of Ukraine in the Latin Catholic field, given the influx of pilgrims and their historical importance.

Main data

Origin and history

En Berdychiv (historical region of Volinia, present oblast of Zhytomyr, Ukraine) is the Carmelite sanctuary dedicated to the Immaculate Conception of the Blessed Virgin Mary, which soon became the veneration center of the icon known as Mother of God of Berdychiv o Our Lady of Berdychiv. This church, of Latin Catholic rite and governed by the barefoot Carmelites, became considered the country's main Catholic Marian sanctuary. Berdychiv has often been called the "Marian capital" of Ukraine in the Latin Catholic field, given the influx of pilgrims and their historical importance.

According to the documented historythe present Baroque temple was erected in the 18th century and was later ennobled with the title of minor basilica. In it, a Marian iconof great veneration among Catholics and also among other Christians, which attracted numerous pilgrimages during the 18th and 19th centuries. The spread of the cult to the Mother of God of Berdychiv was reinforced by the canonical coronation of the icon in 1756which consolidated its prestige as a regional and then national sanctuary. During the Soviet period, the sanctuary suffered persecution and confiscations; the original image was lost and public veneration interrupted for decades. After the fall of the Soviet regime, the temple was returned to the Church, restored and reopened to veneration, recovering its status as a great Marian sanctuary.

As regards traditions and legends, various devotional sources highlight the "miraculous" character of the icon and tell thanks and conversions obtained by intercession from the Mother of God of Berdychiv, as well as the presence of pilgrims from not only Ukraine, but also from Poland and other neighbouring countries. However, many of these stories are transmitted in pious key and do not always consist of detailed historical documentation (e.g. lists of approved miracles or specific canonical processes), so it must be distinguished between the faith of the people and the strictly verified data.

The image and the sanctuary

La image of Our Lady of Berdychiv is a Odighitria type Marian icon (in Greek, "the one that shows the way"): Mary appears holding the Child Jesus and pointing it out, indicating that He is the Way. It is a representation of the Mother of God typical of the Eastern iconography, assumed and venerated in the context of the Latin rite. The omagenal miracle is currently lostAnd in the sanctuary, a icon copy, placed on the main altar, which was blessed and consecrated by John Paul II. The current copy maintains the iconic style that expresses tenderness and protection, with the Virgin as the spiritual guide of the people.

The sanctuary is located in the Basilica of the Immaculate Conception of the Blessed Virgin Mary in Berdychiv (sometimes also called "sanctuary of the Mother of God of Berdychiv"). It's a temple of style baroque, linked to an old fortified Carmelite complex, which dominates the city. The church has been recognized as minor basilica by the Holy See, which underlines its liturgical and pastoral relevance within the Catholic Church in Ukraine. Today, the sanctuary is one of the Catholic Marian shrines most loved by Ukrainiansespecially for the faithful of Latin rite, and is the usual place of great national celebrations and pilgrimages.

Sponsorship and coronation

Our Lady of Berdychiv is considered, in the Latin Catholic tradition, one of the main Marian patronings of Ukraineto the point that the Berdychiv shrine is often presented as Marian reference for the whole country. Although there is no mention in the sources consulted of a formal decree that proclaims it the principal patron of the nation, its sanctuary actually functions as a Marian centre of national scope within the Latin Catholic Church in Ukraine. At the local level, it is particularly linked to the city of Berdychiv and with the surrounding region, in the present Latin diocese to which the sanctuary belongs (according to the ecclesiastical organization of Ukraine).

As for the canonical coronationthe sources indicate that the The icon of Our Lady of Berdychiv was crowned canonically in 1756. However, the available documentation does not clearly specify the name of the pontiff who approved the coronation or the delegate who carried it out in the place, so, beyond the date of the year, the details of the Pontiff / delegate are not recorded with safety in the sources consulted associated with that coronation. After the loss of the original image, no consta a new canonical coronation of the current copy; it is known, yes, that the copy was consecrated by John Paul IIbut that does not amount to a canonical coronation with new crowns approved by the Holy See.

Party and devotion

The available sources on the Berdychiv shrine highlight its condition of great Marian pilgrimage centerbut is not clearly a unique date of "main feast" specifically called "Our Lady of Berdychiv" differentiated from the great general Marian solemnities (Immaculate Conception, Asunción, etc.) in the Latin sphere. It is common for Ukrainian Marian shrines of Latin tradition to celebrate their main pilgrimage around one of these Marian parties or on dates determined by the Episcopal Conference, but the documents consulted do not require the exact day for Berdychiv.

La devotion se manifiesta en numerous pilgrimagesparticularly in summer, when marches of faithful are organized from various regions of the country towards the sanctuary. During these pilgrimages are celebrated Eucharist, confessions, Eucharistic worship and acts of consecration to the Virginwith significant participation of young people, families and religious communities. The importance of the sanctuary has been highlighted by official visits, such as the Cardinal Pietro Parolin, Vatican Secretary of Statewho came to close a national pilgrimage and demonstrate the Pope's closeness to Ukraine in the context of the war.

On the popular level, the Mother of God of Berdychiv is seen as protection and guidance of the peopleand their intercession is used in a special way for peace, the protection of families and perseverance in the faith in the midst of historical and current difficulties. The figure of Mary as “Odighitry”, "the one who guides," feeds a spirituality of trust: she goes to her to lead Christ in the midst of the conflicts and suffering that the country has experienced.

Link to the Rosary

The specific sources on the Berdychiv shrine place the emphasis on the icon of the Mother of God and on great pilgrimages, does not contain a particular documented tradition that uniquely links this advocation to the prayer of the Rosary (for example, a historical fellowship of the Rosary of the sanctuary, or apparitions explicitly linked to this prayer). However, since it is a Marian shrine carmelita de rito Latinit is reasonable - in the context of the usual pastoral praxis - that the Rosario has a prominent place in the devotional life of the sanctuaryespecially during pilgrimages and Marian vigil, although this is not described in detail in the sources consulted.

From a ma perspective