Even Saint Joseph “contributed” to spreading Marian devotion in Palermo in the church of the Theatine Fathers. Where the faithful  they invoke Mary as Mother of Divine Providence and draw water from a miraculous source

by Don Gabriele Cantaluppi

Q“uattro Canti” is the name of an octagonal square in Palermo, at the intersection of the two main roads, Via Maqueda and the Cassaro. It is so called because of the four decorative panels that delimit the space and which, created in the second decade of the 1600s, present figurative elements that, from bottom to top, represent nature (the four seasons), civil society (the four kings of Spain), the kingdom of heaven (the Sicilian saints Agata, Ninfa, Oliva and Cristina). The project is inspired by the crossroads of the Quattro Fontane in Rome, which however for once has a more modest form than the Palermo version. The term derives from the Greek word “kanthos”, meaning “corner”, and in fourteenth-century Italian it referred to the corner formed by the intersection of two roads.

In this area, where Sicilian Baroque triumphs, there is also one of the most monumental examples of this style, the church of San Giuseppe dei Teatini, built in the 34th century by the Ligurian architect Giacomo Besio. It has a basilica plan with three naves, with 11 columns, in particular the four that support the dome are XNUMX meters high, using locally produced stone material.

Our attention was drawn to the crypt of the church, which repeats the upper plan, with the function of an underground church, dedicated to Santa Maria della Provvidenza. As usually happens, here too history and legend intertwine, while the devotion of the people of Palermo has devised this title of Madonna della Provvidenza because of the goodness of the Virgin in granting graces.

It was the Theatine priest Salvatore Ferrari who founded a confraternity in 1609, under the title of Servants or Slaves of Santa Maria della Sciabica. Like a sciabica (a particular fishing net that can catch all kinds of fish), the congregation had the purpose of accepting any type of person, without distinction of social rank, and of professing the teachings of the Gospel, inviting the congregants to become servants of Christ and his Mother.

They also sought an effigy of the Madonna, to whom they could address their prayers and to expose it to the veneration of all the brothers. Another Theatine friar, Vincenzo Scarpato, originally from Naples, owned a painting depicting the Madonna dell'Arco, venerated in his city. He decided to have it reproduced on canvas by some painters from Palermo, who however were unable to produce the work in a satisfactory manner. And here tradition comes in to unite history and pious creativity. One day the humble Theatine, returning home, found before him an unknown old man who, very cordially, handed him a package and said: "Here, brother Vincenzo, is a painting that you will certainly like, keep it, guard it with respect and veneration; it will do many graces; and many will come to visit it, even from far away". Then he quickly disappeared.

When the package was opened, it contained a canvas that exactly reproduced the desired image of the Madonna dell'Arco, which the brotherhood accepted by placing it on the altar of their oratory in the crypt of the Teatini church. Scarpato, after a life lived with a reputation for sanctity, revealed on his deathbed that the old man who had given him the painting was none other than Saint Joseph, who had later revealed himself to him in frequent apparitions.

The Marian image soon became the object of warm and heartfelt popular piety. To this movement of veneration was added the fact that in 1668 a source of water was found under the altar, considered miraculous, and since the discovery occurred on January 15, it was established that it was the solemn day of the celebration.

Thanks to this water, miracles occurred not only of healings, but also of profound conversions of people, afflicted in body and spirit, who confidently flocked to receive that gift that Our Lady of Providence, two centuries before the water of Lourdes, had wanted to give to the people of Palermo.

The church also houses the “Golden Book”, where the names of the faithful, both living and deceased, placed under the protection of Our Lady of Providence are written. It is renewed every year and on the Wednesday following the second Sunday after Epiphany, it is solemnly enthroned under the image of Our Lady. For the benefit of those enrolled, a Holy Mass is celebrated every Wednesday of the year. And since Marian devotion is true if it leads to its main purpose, which is union with Jesus, three days of solemn Eucharistic adoration are held in preparation for the feast of Our Lady of Providence and for the feast of the Golden Book.

As usually happens, traditions were born here in which faith and local folklore go hand in hand. In ancient times, on the feast day it was customary to bless hazelnuts offered to the Madonna and then given to the devotees, wrapped in paper bags, on which were printed the instructions for devoutly using the blessed food. And again, the sailors of the port of Palermo, on the evening of the vigil, burned a boat in front of the church, almost as if to indicate the total entrustment of their life, not without risks, to the Virgin. The liturgical feast continues to be celebrated, even though it no longer has the solemnity of the past, and many Palermitans flock on this day to the majestic temple of the Theatines to obtain graces from the Virgin and draw holy water, the forerunner of the more famous water of Lourdes. In recent years the original painting has been transferred to the upper church, while a copy remains in the lower church.