Our Lady of Sasopoli

https://www.roman-catholic-saints.com/our-lady-of-sasopoli.html

June 4 

Our Lady of Sasopoli, Italy
 
The sanctuary of this Madonna, Our Lady of Sasopoli, is some 1700 feet above sea level on one of hills in range of Mount Giovi, 12 miles northwest of Florence, Italy.

As the stories put it, “in ancient times” a little shrine stood on a hill & it contained a tablet depicting Blessed Virgin & Child.
Since plaque is, according to experts, a work of Giotto School, it must have been made some time between 1300 & 1490.
Giotto was himself in Florence in 1300, 1302, 1307, & 1334, & died in 1336.

Many people come to pray at shrine & among these were 2 young shepherdesses of Ricovera family.
On July 2, 1490, the 2 girls were praying at shrine.
As their father was gravely ill, they were imploring Virgin to restore him to health.

They heard a sound & looking around, they saw sitting on a nearby stone a lovely lady with a child in her arms.

Before they recovered from their surprise lady spoke to them.
She told them not to be afraid & not to worry, that she was one to whom they'd been praying so fervently, & that she wished to have a church built on that spot in her honor.
She asked them to go & bring their father, as she wished to speak to him.

The girls told lady that their father couldn't come because he was so sick; he couldn't even get up out of his bed.
But she assured them that he was now well again & that they should go & get him.
Obeying, girls hurried to their home & found their father completely recovered.
They returned with him to shrine; the Lady was still sitting on stone.

She told father of her wish that a church be built on that spot.
The man & his daughters spread story of his recovery & of how Virgin had appeared, but very few believed them & nothing at all was done about church.

Then on August 15, feast of the Assumption, when a goodly number where gathered at shrine, Virgin appeared for third time.
She told them she was displeased at delay & demanded that they get busy & build her a church.

This time they believed her & started to work.
However, since ground around stone on which she'd appeared seemed too steep to attempt to put a building there, they started to lay foundation at a place some few hundred feet away.

But when masons arrived for work following morning, they found walls they'd laid day before were demolished & stones strewn around.
After this happened several times, they decided that Virgin didn't want church built there, but over on spot where stone was.
So they bowed to inevitable & with great labor, leveled off ground around stone, & there erected church in honor of Our Lady of Sasopoli.

Since Virgin had appeared on stone, & moreover, insisted that church be erected on that very spot, it was natural church & image be called Madonna del Sasso or Our Lady of Sasopoli, Our Lady of the Stone.