Apparition
Apparition of Our Lady of Sorrows at Castelpetroso
Church-approved Marian apparition · Castelpetroso, Molise, Diocese of Bojano, Italy, 1888
On 22 March 1888 two peasant women of the hamlet of Pastine, Fabiana Cicchino and Serafina Valentino, saw in a hillside hollow near Castelpetroso the Blessed Virgin kneeling in the image of the Pietà, her arms open above the dead body of her Son. The Bishop of Bojano, who went to the place and saw the same vision on 26 September 1888, issued a formal declaration in February 1889 and opened a diocesan inquiry; devotion was authorised and a great sanctuary of Our Lady of Sorrows was built on the site.
Background
The foundation stone of the Gothic sanctuary was laid in 1890 before an immense crowd, and the church was consecrated only in 1975; Our Lady of Sorrows of Castelpetroso is honoured as patroness of the region of Molise. The apparition's whole content is the Sorrowful Mother beside her crucified Son — it carries no verbal message, and none should be attributed to it.
Location
Castelpetroso, Molise, Diocese of Bojano
Country
Italy
Approved status
Approved
Year of apparition
1888
Visionaries
- Fabiana Cicchino
- Serafina Valentino
Subject
marian
Decision year
1889
Content subtype
approved_apparition
Decision authority
Bishop Francesco Macarone Palmieri of Bojano