Anecdotes about the Virgin Mary

"The Madonna of San Luca: the icon that descended to the city and stopped the rain"

Bologna (Italy) (1433)

On the Guardia hill above Bologna, the icon of the Madonna di San Luca, protector of the city, is venerated. A long portico of arches, winding its way up from the city to the sanctuary, connects the people of Bologna with their Virgin and accompanies the city's most beloved procession each year: the descent of the icon from the hill to the city center.

Local tradition holds a special place in memory of the year 1433, when persistent rains threatened the crops. It is said that the presence of the icon, carried in supplication to the city, stopped the rain and brought relief from the bad weather. Since then, the annual procession has been deeply rooted in Bolognese piety.

A careful distinction must be made. Devotion to the Madonna di San Luca and the annual procession are firmly established in the history and life of Bologna. However, the specific episode of the 1433 rains is transmitted as a devotional tradition, and with the available sources, it is not possible to definitively establish its first documented instance or the precise institutionalization of the rite without risking an unverified assertion.

Regarding the Rosary, no specific link is found in the sources consulted. It is a very Marian devotion and deeply rooted in processions, in which the Rosary naturally accompanies popular piety, but a Rosary connection that is not documented should not be invented.