Our Lady of Rama

Marian vocation of Rama-Šćit (Herzegovina)

La advocación de Our Lady of Rama (Gospa Ramska) It is linked to the secular presence of the Franciscans and the Catholic population in the Rama Valley, in the present Bosnia and Herzegovina. The tradition places the origin of its veneration in the ancient Franciscan convent and parish of Šćit, the spiritual center of the Catholics of the region since medieval times, when the friars were guarding there a Marian image much loved by the people. However, for the specific details of the origins (exact date of the first image, author, type of foundation) no precise documentation accessible in the usual sources of ecclesial and historical consultation.

Main data

Origin and history

La advocación de Our Lady of Rama (Gospa Ramska) It is linked to the secular presence of the Franciscans and the Catholic population in the Rama Valley, in the present Bosnia and Herzegovina. The tradition places the origin of its veneration in the ancient Franciscan convent and parish of Šćit, the spiritual center of the Catholics of the region since medieval times, when the friars were guarding there a Marian image much loved by the people. However, for the specific details of the origins (exact date of the first image, author, type of foundation) no precise documentation accessible in the usual sources of ecclesial and historical consultation.

According to the tradition, en 1687, in the face of the progress of the Ottoman Empire and the hardening of conditions for Christians, the Catholics of Rama undertook a dramatic exodus to Dalmata territory (today Croatia). In this context, the community would have decided to carry with it the image of the Virgin venerated in Šćit, so that Our Lady of Rama He spiritually accompanied this forced migration and was forever linked to the memory of the people who left their ancestral valley. The memory of this exodus is very alive in both Rama and the city of Sinjwhere many of those refugees arrived, and explains the existence of an image linked to Rama also in that Croatian town. However, no detailed critical studies are included online that allow for the complete reconstruction of all the details of this transfer, so that many elements are preserved in the form of a local tradition.

As for the documented historythe Franciscan presence in the region of Rama-Šćit and the role of the sanctuary as the center of the Catholic community under the jurisdiction of the Latin rite are firmly attested. It is also documented that, after the wars and dispopulations of the 17th and 18th centuries, the sanctuary was restored and that the devotion to the Virgin associated with Rama remained among those who remained and among the descendants of the emigrants to Dalmatia, especially in the area of Sinj. Details such as guardian names, convent reconstructions and parish life are collected in Franciscan chronicles and diocesan documentation, but many of these sources are not available in an open way on the network; therefore, for much of these data no direct access in the consulting sources immediately.

The image and the sanctuary

La image of Our Lady of Rama that tradition points out as the protagonist of the exodus of 1687 was a Marian representation venerated in the Franciscan convent of Šćit. The concrete iconography of that original image (size, painting on board or canvas, exact style) is not clearly and verifiable in accessible online sources. At present, a Marian image is venerated in Šćit, linked to this advocation, and in Sinj a Marian representation also remains associated with the memory of Catholics from Rama; however, the detailed technical description (material, dimensions, author, art school) no consta in a precise enough way to offer it rigorously.

The sanctuary is located in Šćitin the valley of Rama, and is taken care of by the Franciscan frailes, within the Catholic Church of Latin rite. It is the sanctuary of Our Lady of Rama-Šćitwhich also serves as a parish and a Marian pilgrimage centre for the region. The current facilities of the complex - church, convent, shelter spaces - have been restored and expanded throughout the 20th century, especially after the damage suffered in various war conflicts in the area. It does not know that the temple has the title of minor basilicaor that it has been declared National sanctuaryBut it works as a sanctuary. diocesano/regional of strong popular roots. In any case, information about their specific legal status as a sanctuary in the explicit manner in available sources.

Sponsorship and coronation

Our Lady of Rama (Gospa Ramska) is considered spiritual patron of the Rama valley and of the Catholic community historically linked to this territory, both in Bosnia and Herzegovina and in the Croatian diaspora, especially in the Sinj. The link between the two localities, Rama and Sinj, is expressed precisely in the shared memory of the Virgin who accompanied the exodus of 1687 and in the continuity of Marian devotion among the descendants of those emigrants. Beyond this character of local and regional patron, no consta an official appointment as a patron of a diocese or a nation.

As for a possible canonical coronation of the image, in the sources consulted does not contain a documented canonical coronation. There are no safe references to a pontifical decree or a coronation ceremony presided over by a papal delegate with a date and verifiable data. There may be devotional crowns or local "coronation" celebrations in a broad sense, but, in the absence of clear official documentation, it cannot be said that there is a canonical coronation in the technical sense recognized by the Church.

Party and devotion

The fiesta principal de Our Lady of Rama is linked to the liturgical life of the parish and the local Marian calendar, but in available sources a single and universally recognized date is not safe for this advocation (for example, a day other than general Marian parties such as the Assumption or the Nativity of Mary). In practice, devotion is expressed above all in certain Marian solemnities of the year, in which the faithful of the region come to the shrine of Šćit, and in commemorations linked to the memory of the exodus of 1687, which reinforce the link between faith and the history of the people.

The shrine of Rama-Šćit is destination of local and regional pilgrimagesespecially in the great Marian parties (Asunción, Immaculate, Nativity of Mary), as well as in other significant dates for the Franciscan community and for the Catholics of Bosnia and Herzegovina. No precise figures are available for the annual influx of pilgrims, so this data no consta Exactly. Among the devotional features are participation in the Eucharist, la sacramental confessionthe Marian processions and prayer before the image of the Virgin, in which the fidelity of the ancestors who carried the image with them in times of persecution and exile is often remembered.

In the city of Sinjthe presence of an image linked to the tradition of Rama also reinforces the joint devotion of Croats and Bosnians of Ramsko origin; this spiritual communion is expressed in celebrations and encounters that evoke the memory of the exodus and the protection of the Virgin. However, the concrete articulation of this relationship in the local liturgical calendar of Sinj (exact days, specific rites) no consta in detail in the sources consulted.

Link to the Rosary

In the available documentation on Our Lady of Rama (Gospa Ramska) there is no specific and explicit relationship between this advocation and a unique practice of Rosary (for example, an official title linking it to the Rosary or a feast of the Rosary in the sanctuary); therefore, no consta a specific bond similar to that of other advocates such as the Virgin of the Rosary or Our Lady of Pompeii.

However, since it is a Franciscan Marian Shrine de rito latino, el rezo of the Holy Rosary It is an important place in daily piety and pilgrimages. The Rosary, by meditating on the mysteries of Christ's life together with Mary, allows the faithful of Rama- Šćit to contemplate the moments of joy, pain and hope of the history of salvation in the light also of the very history of suffering, exodus and fidelity of its