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It’s Saturday night in Rome. What to do? What to do?
A club? The city’s hottest restaurants? Seeing the Coliseum aglow? If you find yourself in the Circus Maximus area of Rome with nothing to do and none of the above appeal to you…here’s a suggestion.
Every Saturday night at midnight, a Pilgrimage starts at the southeast end of Circus Maximus (near the metro station and the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations) at the Piazza Porta Capena. This Pilgrimage heads on foot toward the Madonna del Divino Armore Sanctuary and arrives around five o’clock on Sunday morning. It takes place from the first Saturday after Easter until the last Saturday of October and on December 7 at the eve of the Immaculate Conception. The route follows the Old Appian Way until the church, Quo Vadis (see my blog post “Where Are You Going?”) is reached and a turn is made on to the Via Ardeatina. Here, the route continues over the Catacombs of St. Callisto (see my blog post “Along the Appian Way”) and past the Mausoleum of the Ardeatin Caves, where personal intentions are brought to the feet of the Virgin Mary.
The starting point is marked with a sign.
The reason behind the pilgrimages? In the early 1700’s, on one of the towers of the Castel di Leva, there was a votive image of the Virgin Mary, portrayed as sitting on a Throne, holding the child Jesus in her arms and the Holy Spirit, descending upon her as a dove. This image was considered extremely holy by the local shepherds and many miracles were attributed to the image on this site. In September of 1740, the image was removed from the tower and transferred to a nearby estate called “La Falconiana” where a small church dedicated to St Mary ad Magos stood. Five years later, the image was brought back to its original location where a church had been erected in its absence and was later consecrated by Cardinal Carlo Rezzonico, who later became Pope Clement XIII. Shortly after, pilgrimages began and became more numerous, continuing until today.
Pilgrimage to the Madonna del Divino Armore Sanctuary
- When: Saturdays at midnight from first Saturday after Easter until the last Saturday in October and December 7.
- Getting There: Metro Line B, stop Circus Maximus
