Anecdotes about the Virgin Mary

"The Black Virgin of Oropa: the image hidden under the rock"

Biella (Italy)

In the mountains overlooking Biella, in Italy's Piedmont region, stands the Sanctuary of Oropa, home to a venerated Black Madonna. The sanctuary's tradition recounts that the image was hidden by Saint Eusebius under a boulder to preserve it during difficult times, and that popular devotion, through favors, pilgrimages, and votive offerings, gradually surrounded it, transforming the site into one of Italy's major Marian centers.

The legendary foundation dates back to early Christian times, linked to Saint Eusebius; however, historical documentation of the sanctuary and its devotion is later and does not pinpoint a single, certain founding date. Therefore, it is advisable to read this early origin with care and caution.

That event did not remain a mere rumor: the Bishop of Aosta initiated a canonical process that heard testimony from six physicians and was approved by nine theologians. It is a beautiful example of how the Church examines graces with seriousness. Here, a distinction must be made. The concealment of the image by Saint Eusebius and its apostolic antiquity are traditions, as is the pious belief that its surface "does not become soiled" or age. The existence of the sanctuary as a major Marian center and the initiation of canonical processes regarding miracles, such as the one in Vallet in 1672, are documented facts.

Regarding the Rosary, no structural and exclusive link to it is found in the sources consulted about Oropa. However, a strong Marian devotion is evident, with processions and deep popular piety, in which the Rosary is prayed as in any major sanctuary, without appearing as a distinctive feature of the place.