A brief History   

How devotion to the Virgin Developed

The celebrations in honour of the Virgin Mary of Constantinople are considered the most important of all festivities held in Pietracatella. Locals and non-locals alike eagerly await this festival. Devotion towards the Virgin Mary plays an important part in the lives of the believers.

To fully understand all aspects linked to this deeply felt devotion, its origins should be mentioned, even if only a few details are known. The origins can be traced back to the Byzantine Empire, when in 330AD Byzantium was renamed Constantinople (now Istanbul) by Constantine the Great, making it the capital of the Eastern Roman Empire. Already in those times there existed a form of Marian devotion within the Imperial circle.

Under Theodosius II (408-50) fifth-century Constantinople saw the foundation of three basilicas dedicated to the Virgin Mary. According to tradition an image of Mary, mother of Jesus, housed in one of the basilicas had been started by Saint Luke the Evangelist, but was miraculously completed by divine intervention. St Pulcheria, the Emperor’s sister, promoted and extended this devotion. She instructed Tuesdays to be devoted to the Virgin Mary and in particular Whit Tuesday. Tuesday was chosen for two reasons. Firstly, it is believed that the Council of Ephesus (431) that established the creed of the Holy Maternity (despite the opposition of the heretical Nestorians) occurred on a Tuesday. Secondly, according to Marian iconography on Whit Tuesday Constantinople was victorious against the enemy that had besieged the capital. The Virgin Mary is said to have appeared in the sky on a cloud surrounded by angles, a pair of which held amphorae to pour water over the flame-covered fortified city. This is the same iconography now reproduced on the Confraternity’s silver medallion.

Following the 8th-century iconoclastic movement and thanks to the 11th-century Crusades, an increasing number of images, in some cases just fragments, reproducing the Virgin Mary reached Italy, especially the southern part of the country. The merging of Byzantine and southern Italian cultures generated a complex cultural mix. Hence the development of the devotion of such images believed to have miraculous power or be linked to the deliverance from plague, epidemic and famine. This cultural and religious merging can also be found in the local folklore.

As to Pietracatella, to date there are no records of the Virgin Mary having appeared or of specific miracles that justify the development of the Virgin Mary’s devotion. In the past it was thought that this devotion was brought from Montevergine to the diocese of Benevento to which Pietracatella belonged. Yet today it is believed the origins can be traced back to Naples when the Virgin Mary appeared on Whit Tuesday in 1529. Hence the tradition, through the centuries to date, to celebrate the Virgin Mary on this day. However, in Pietracatella the celebrations in Her honour take on a distinctive character which, for certain aspects, can be ascribed to origins not only Christian. They seem to have roots in pagan rites and polytheism though these were overtaken and dominated by Christianity.