10 Jan 2012, Posted by admin in Messina,Notes,Sicilia, 6 Comments. Tagged religion, sightseeing

Blessings of Messina

What does “Vos et ipsam civitatem benedicimus” mean? I thought last time I crossed the Strait of Messina, and passed the 7 metre tall, golden Madonnina guarding the harbor and the city of Messina. Of course I forgot to check it out, until I came across these pictures, and the same question popped up again.

The answer is provided by Google, who tells me that the meaning of the inscription is “We bless you and your city” and it is a quote from a letter the Virgin Mary sent to the population of Messina in the year 42. Legend has it that the Apostle Paul came to Messina around this time to convert the Sicilians to Christianity.

The locals were not too eager to give up their old deities, but by and by great numbers were persuaded, and some of them insisted on accompanying Paul on a trip to Palestine. Here they met with the Mother of Christ who responded by sending back a letter in Hebrew, rolled and tied with a lock of her hair. In the letter to the people of Messina, the Holy Mother said that she appreciated their devotion and would grant them perpetual protection. The letter ended with the words “Vos et ipsam civitatem benedicimus”

1900 years later the same words were inscribed on the old fort San Salvatore. The fort serves as a plinth for the 60 metre tall octagonal column that carries a statue of the Madonna della Lettera. Reminding me of a new object of investigation: For whatever happened to the letter and the strand of Virgin hair?