Shrine of Our Lady of Pompeii

Bartolo Longo, son of a wealthy Italian family in the 19th century, was a "priest" in a satanic cult, a practicer of new age "magic" who reveled in debauchery, seances, and demonstrating against the Pope and the Church.  These did not make him happy.  Through the advice of friends, he came into contact with a Dominican priest, who reconciled him to the faith of his childhood.  He even became a Third Order Dominican, taking the name "Rosario".

A year or so later, while in the Church of SS. Salvatore in the city of Pompeii (outside where the ruins are), he had a mystical experience. There he had a vision of the Blessed Virgin Mary, who spoke to him saying "Se propaghi il Rosario, sarai salvo!" ("If you propagate the rosary, you will be saved!")  At this point he saw clearly his mission: to spread the devotion of the Rosary.

He eventually founded a Confraternity of the Holy Rosary. As part of that activity, he wanted an image for the new Confraternity. So, he acquired an icon of the Blessed Virgin giving the rosary to Sts. Dominic and Catherine of Siena.  That image was given to him by a Dominican nun, who had purchased it in a junk shop in Naples.  Longo himself was not too found of the image, which he described in his journal this way:

Not only was it worm-eaten, but the face of the Madonna was that of a coarse, rough country-woman ... a piece of canvas was missing just above her head ... her mantle was cracked. Nothing need be said of the hideousness of the other figures. St. Dominic looked like a street idiot. To Our Lady's left was a St. Rose. This I had changed later into a St. Catherine of Siena ... I hesitated whether to refuse the gift or to accept ... I took it.

The image was restored a number of times, and come to be known simply as Our Lady of Pompeii.

Eventually, at the urging of his Bishop, Longo built a new church, a shrine dedicated to the Rosary.  Soon after, miracles began being reported, particularly with the icon of Our Lady of Pompeii.  A larger church was built, and enlarged again after Longo's death.  That church is now known officially as the Pontifical Shrine of the Blessed Virgin of the Holy rosary of Pompeii, or as it is better known, simply the Shrine of Our Lady of Pompeii.

Bartolo Longo was beatified by Bl. Pope John Paul II in 1980.

The Shrine is located just outside the archaeological site at Pompeii, and is worth a visit.  While we were there, an Italian Bishop was visiting with some Capuchin friars in tow, and we were able to pray the Rosary with them.  Unfortunately, the main sanctuary was under construction during our visit, but here are a few pictures:

Pompeii

Pompeii with Mt. Vesuvius in the background

Just across the bay of Naples and around Mt. Vesuvius is the famous ancient city of Pompeii.  It's about a 45-minute metro ride from the main train station in Naples.  As most know, Mt. Vesuvius erupted in the year 79 AD, dumping tons of ash and Pumice over several hours on the city of Pompeii.  The effect was to completely bury the city as it existed, and thereby preserve much of it.  After the eruption, the city was lost to history for more than a millennium and a half.  After its rediscovery  it was excavated over centuries.  Regrettably, after its initial discoveries, looters plundered a great number of objects and works of art.  Still, what was left gives us one of the best glimpses of what life in ancient Rome was like.  It's street layouts are still preserved.  Many of the frescoes and mosaics were still intact.  The vast majority of buildings are still standing, although many of their wooden roofs were destroyed.

Most interestingly, in the 19th century, archaeologists noticed that after the decomposition of the plants and animals caught in the ash, airpockets were left.  So they filled these pockets with plaster, creating casts of the people exactly as they died.  They also have impressions of some of the plants, ancient roots, and the like.

Their level of civilization is also very surprising.  The city has raised sidewalks for the people to walk to avoid the muck of the streets, which are themselves paved with stones.  They even have stone crosswalks, with gaps for carts to pass through, to people could cross from one sidewalk to the other without walking in the street.  They had an advanced aqueduct system which poured water into every house in the city.  I was also surprised at the number of restaurants in the city, with counters for selling cold and hot food.  Apparently, Pompeii was very much a resort town, with a great number of wealthy visitors.

It is a surprisingly large city.  We were there most of the day, and really only saw about half of it.  Just an excuse to go back again some day.

For anyone spending time in Italy with a love for ancient Rome, Pompeii really is a must-see.  Fantastic place, and we thankfully saw it on a mostly sunny day.

Here are the pictures: