informazioni su santuario Adonai in spagnolo

EL SANTUARIO Y EREMO DE MARIA SS. MATER ADONAI
BRUCOLI (SR) ITALIA

El Santuario de S. Maria Adonai surge cerca de Brucoli; a unos diez metros de distanzia del mar, se refleja en las aguas golfo de Catania, en el norte de la provincia y diòcesi de SR.
Segùn antiguas tradiciones y atestaciones, hechas tambièn por varios escritores del siglo XVI y XVII este Santuario parece ser un oratorio Paleocristiano, y una de las primeras iglesias dedicadas al culto de Maria SS., asì como lo testimonia el nombre ebraico “Mater Adonai” (Madre de mi Señor). De seguro es el Santuario Mariano màs antiguo de Sicilia y tal vèz del mundo cristiano occidental.
Una presencia cristiana en este lugar se atestigua a partir del año 253 de la era cristiana.
El oratorio dedicado a M. SS. Mater Adonai. fuè fundado en la primera mitad del siglo III por un cristiano de nombre Publio de Trotilo, en una de las muchas cuevas de un hipogeo preesistente, llamadas “cuevas del griego”, cuevas habitadas deisde la prehistoria y despuès por los griegos en el siglo VIII a.C. en el tiempo de la colonizaciòn griega de la Sicilia.
En estas cuevas muy aisladas trasformadas duspuès por las Griegos en una necròpoli, se refugiaron algunos cristianos de la comunidad cristiana de Leontinoi, oprimidas por la sangrienta persecuciòn de Decio y Valeriano.
El santuario està constituido por una cueva delante de la cual, en el siglo XVIII, despuès del descubrimiento de la cueva, fuè construido un arimez de albañileria que le confiere el aspecto de una pequeña iglesia. En el fondo de la cueva se halla un fresco de la Virgen de Adonai, realizado segùn la tradiciòn de S. Agatone, obispo de Lipari que se rifugiò allì junto con otros cristianos Lentineses.
La Virgen està representada sentada sobre una nube con el niño Jesùs en los brazos, que con su mano derecha lleva una cruz, mientras que con la izquierda poya su cetro sobre el mundo. La imagen, segùn algunos estudiosos, lleva señas de varias intervenciones en el tiempo (coronas y globo) pero nadie ha podido datarla con seguridad.
En esta cueva se convirtiò a la fè cristiana Alejandro, primer ministro del tirano de Lentini, despuès del martirio de tres santos hermanos Alfio, Cirino y Filadelfo. Alejandro tomò el nombre de Bautizo de Neofito. Fuè despuès sacerdote y obispo de la comunidad Cristiana de Lentini. Una muy antigua inscripciòn encontrada en una iglesia de Lentini documenta el culto de Maria, Madre Adonai (del Señor) aùn antes del Concilio de Efeso.
En el IV siglo durante el clima de libertad religiosa instaurado por el edicto de Costantino, la cueva-oratorio volviò a caer en abandono, tambièn porque se encontraba en un lugàr desierto y muy lejos de lugares habitados. Del oratorio dedicado a Maria Mater Adonai quedò solo el recuerdo y hasta se perdieron las trazas por casi un milenio, aunque si una tradiciòn hablaba de una cueva con la imagen. De una Virgen que nadie habìa nunca màs encontrado. Se puede admitir por hipotesis que en el tiempo de las invasiones arabes en Sicilia esta cueva fuè escondida para evitar qua fuese destruida como otros simbolos de la fè cristiana.
El nuevo descrubimiento de la cueva con el fresco de la Virgen fuè probablemente entre el 1500 y 1600. Se cuenta que un pastorcito la descubriò de manera extraña y para muchos milagrosa. El pastorcito despuès de librar un buey que se habìa caido en un hueco da la tierra, que en realidad era una lucerna de la cueva-oratorio, fuè atraido por una misteriosa luz intensa que brillaba en la cavedad que estaba abajo: bajandò se a travès de la lucerna descubriò la imagen de la Virgen con el Niño.
El lugar fuè enseguida meta de pelegrinos y despuès de algunos años, cerca de la iglesia fuè costruido un pequeño cenobio (hay conocido como “ermita”) por unos soldatos Españoles que habìan ido allì casualmente, pero que se quedaron asombrados por la belleza de la imagen y del lugar. Abandonada la vida militar fundaron la Comunidad monastica laica de Adonai que ha existido hasta el 1950 año de la muerte del ùltimo fraile.
Estos cenobitas observaban una regla suya que era una mezela de reglas benedectinas y cistercenses. Esta Comunidad se caracterizò por llevar una vida de santidad y por el culto de la Sagrada imagen de la Virgen Maria.
El Santuario es una de las màs antiguas iglesias de la Italia meridional y en particular de la Sicilia sur-oriental que ha sobrevivido al catastròfico terremoto del 11 de Enero del 1693 que destrujò un tercio de Sicilia y causò muchas victimas. Documentos notariales documentan la existencia de la iglesia de la Adomai ya desde el 1600.
En la primera mitad del siglo XVIII Luìs de Leòn de Faenza con un grupo de voluntarios reconstruyò el ermita con 18 celdas (las actuales) restaurò y hizo màs grande el oratorio construyendo un arimez formando la actual iglesia.
La Comunidad floreciò durante todo el siglo XVIII y XIX bajo la direcciòn de grandes figuras como Fra Luis De Leon da Faenza, Fra Luis Bellieri de Pavia (fundador del ermita S. Corrado en Noto), Fra Alfio Drago de Melilli e Fra’ Alfonso Vigo de Acireale.
En el siglo XVIII el ermita tuvo su periòdo de maximo exsplendor con reflocimiento del culto de la Virgen de Adonai.
En el febrero de 1740, los frailes de Adonai obtuvieron la clausura pontificia, pero en la segunda mitad del siglo XIX la Comunidad empezò a decaer hasta que el cenobio quedò vacio desde el 1809 hasta el 1839. En este tiempo la indiferencia y el abandono volvieron la iglesia en condiciones muy miseras, casi unas ruinas, y el lugar sin custodia fuè robado de todo.
En el 1839 ocho ermitas bajo la guia de Fra’ Alfonso de Jesùs y Maria (de los marqhises de Vigo de Acireale) poblaron de privados y de ordenes Religiosas (en particulas las Clarissos y benedectinos de Catania). La Iglesia fuè restaurada, limpiada, y llenada de reliquias y quadros ensperados a la historia del oratorio.
En el 1841 el Papa Gregorio XVI concediò la indulgencia plenaria a todas los que hubieran visitado el santuario, despuès de confesarse, en el dìa de los fiestas marianas (5 de Agosto) La Virgen de la Concepcion, la Natividad de la Virgen, la Purificaciòn y la Asunciòn y declarò Sagrado, diario y perpetuo el altar debayo de la imagen de la Virgen.
Este altar fuè però destruido en el 1847 para dar lugar al actual que con un marco de marmo policromo enganza como en un cuadro la imagen de la Virgen , y durante el arreglo de la sagrada cueva fueron halladas bayo el piso las tumbas de los antiguos eremitas.
Un turbulento perìodo fueron los años 1860-1873, cuando a causas de las leyes eversivas del nuevo gobierno Italiano, los monjes de Adonai corrieron el riesgo de verse confiscado el cenobio y todo ese periodo tuvieron que vivir en el convento con los obreros del cercano ferrocarrìl ya que el gobierno se lo habìa permitido .
Tambièn en el siglo XIX la comunidad de Adonai tuvo otro periodo de crisi my fuerte.
En los primeros años del siglo Xxel numero e frailes se ha ido reduciendo pasando de cinco a uno. Causa de la decadencia definitiva del glorioso cenobio han sido tabien’ las graves crisis que han atormentado la humanidad desembocando en las dos muy sangrientas guerras mundiales.
El Santuario y el Eremita, despuès de la muerte del ultimo ermitario. Fra Antonino acontecida el 7 de Junio del 1950,se han quedado de nuevo abandonados y se han vuelto presa de ladrones y sacrilegos que han devastado y robado todo, hasta el tabernàculo de marmo, la campana y la grande tela del 1815 que representaba la ordenaciòn sacerdotal de S.Neofito con las memorias cronologicas del sitio. A los daños del hombre se han añadido la vejez de las obras albañiles.
In los años setenta (70) el Santuario y el monasterio se dieron en comodato por 15 años a una Comudidad religiosa de Catania bajo la guia del sacerdote Ildebrando Santangeel, que con grandes esfuerzos y la ayuda de voluntarios han valorado el antiguo ermita.
Màs tarde todo eso se lo dieron a la Acciòn Catòlica diocesiana de Siracusa, pero esta pronto lo dejo a causa del vandalesmo.
Se lo han encargado, en la actualidad a la cercana parroquia de Brucoli, el ermita y la iglesia van resurgiendo de las ruinas gracias a la guarda y al trabajo de algunos voluntarios.
Durante el año, el antiguo cenobio, que cabe 40 puestos, puede alojar de manera muy simple grupos scout, parroquiales y religiosos en dias o semanas de espiritualidad, campos de formaciòn con el mètodo de autogestiòn.
Despuès del terremoto del 13/12/1990, en el año 2000 se han hecho trabajos de reconstruciòn y consolidaciòn, mientras que en el 2007 han empezado los trabajos de restauro. En Verano se celebra la misa prefiesta, y cada año el 5 de Agosto, fiesta de la Virgen de Adonai se hace el tradicional pelegrinaje. Desde el 2007 en años alternos se celebra la Virgen de Adonai con una fiesta esclusivamente religiosa. Reflorece el oasis de paz y el culto de Maria SS. Mater Adonai.

Traduzione a cura della prof.ssa Erminia Belluso

Santuario Adonai Informazioni in Inglese

THE SANCTUARY AND HERMITAGE OF SAINT MARY MATER ADONAI
BRUCOLI (SIRACUSA)

The Sanctuary of Saint Mary Mater Adonai can be found near Brucoli, a few metres from the sea, mirroring itself in the waters of the Gulf of Catania, in the northern part of the province, in the Diocese of Siracusa.
According to ancient traditions and testimonies taken from the writings of the 16th and 17th centuries, the Sanctuary seems to have been a paleo-christian oratory and one of the very first churches dedicated to St. Mary which can be confirmed by its Jewish name of “Mater Adonai”(= Mother of my God). It is definitely the oldest sanctuary dedicated to St. Mary in Sicily and perhaps even in the western Christian world. A Christian presence in this area has been

documented since the year 253 of the Christian era. The Oratory, dedicated to St. Mary – Mater Adonai was founded during the first half of the 3rd century by a Christian by the name of Publio, from Trotilo, in one of the numerous caves of a pre-existing hypogeum, named “the grotto of the Greek”. These caves were inhabited since prehistory and by the Greeks in the 8th century B.C. during the Greek colonisation of Sicily.
In these isolated caves, latterly transformed by the Greeks into a necropolis, some Christians from the Christian community of Leontinoi (Lentini) who were oppressed by the bloody persecution of Decio and Valeriano, found refuge.
The sanctuary consists of a cave, in front of which after its discovery in the 17th century, a brick building was constructed which gives it the aspect of a modest church. On the wall of the cave there is a fresco of the Madonna of Adonai created according to the tradition of St. Agatone, Bishop of Lipari, who also took refuge here together with the Christians from Lentini. The Madonna is shown to be sitting on a cushion of clouds with Baby Jesus in her arms, who
is holding a cross in his right hand, and in his left hand he rests his sceptre on the world. According to the views of the scholars, this picture shows the signs of various additions over the years (the crown and globe) but up to now, no-one has been able to give an exact age to the fresco.
Alexander, the Prime Minister of the tyrant of Lentini, was converted to the Catholic faith in this cave, after the martyrdoms of three brothers, Alfio, Cirino and Filadelfo, who attained sainthood. After his baptism, Alexander took the name of Neofito and later became a priest and the first Bishop of the Christian community of Lentini. An ancient inscription found near a church in Lentini, documents the cult of Mary as the Mother of God (Adonai) even earlier than the ecumenical Council of Efeso.
In the 4th century in the new climate of religious freedom, which was established by the Edict of Constantine, the cave-oratory was abandoned, probably because it was situated in a lonely place a long way from other dwellings. From the oratory dedicated to Mother Mary Adonai, only the memory remained, and even this was lost without trace for about 1,000 years, even though tradition handed down the memory of the cave with the picture of the Virgin Mary, which

no-one had ever found. One hypothesis is that at the time of the Arab invasion of Sicily, this cave was hidden to avoid its destruction, as happened to many other symbols of the Christian faith.
The discovery of the cave with the fresco of the Madonna probably happened between 1500 and 1600. Legend has it that a shepherd found it in such a strange way, that many consider it a miracle. The shepherd, after having freed a bull which had fallen into a hole in the ground, - which later was found to have been the skylight of the cave-oratory – was attracted by a mysterious bright light which shone in the underground cavity. Climbing down through the skylight, he discovered the luminous picture of the Madonna and Child.
This place immediately became a destination for pilgrimages and after some years, a small monastery was built next to the church (today it is commonly known as a hermitage) by a group of Spanish soldiers, who had passed there by chance, and who were captivated by the beauty of the portrait and its location. They abandoned their military career and formed the monastic lay
community of the Adonai, which continued to exist until 1950, the year of the death of the last Brother.
These monks observed their own rules, a part of which was from the fusion of the Benedictine and Cistercian Rules. This community of monks distinguished itself by its saintly life and by the furtherance of the cult of the sacred image of Mary.
The Sanctuary of Adonai also contains one of the oldest churches in the south of Italy and in particular in south-eastern Sicily, which survived the catastrophic earthquake of 11th January 1693 which razed to the ground nearly a third of the whole of Sicily, with a terrible loss of human life. Notarised documents proving the existence of the church of the Adonai can be traced back to early 1600 A.D.
In the first half of the 18th century, Luigi De Leon from Faenza, who was at the head of a group of volunteers, completely rebuilt the hermitage with 18 cells (which still exist) restored and enlarged the Oratory, constructing a building in front of it, which became the present small church.
The community flourished during the 18th and 19th centuries under the guidance of important people, such as Brother Luigi Deleon from Faenza, Brother Luigi Bellieri from Pavia (who was later to become the founder of the famous hermitage of San Corrado at Noto) Brother Alfio Drago from Melilli and Brother Alfonso Vigo from Acireale.
In the 18th century the hermitage had its period of maximum splendour with the onsequent flourishing of the cult of the Madonna of Adonai. In February 1740 the Brothers obtained the Pontificial Closed Orders, but during the first half of the 19th century the community went into a decline, which resulted in the hermitage standing empty from 1809 to 1839. During this period, indifference and abandon left the church and the hermitage in little more than a ruin, and being unguarded, everything that was left there was stolen.
In 1839 eight hermits under the guidance of Brother Alfonso di Gesù e Maria (of the Marchesi Vigo family from Acireale) repopulated the hermitage and with the generous help of private citizens and Religious Orders (particularly the Clarisse and the Benedictine monks of Catania) the church was repaired. It was cleaned and replenished and filled with relics and paintings inspired by he history of the oratory.
In 1841 Pope Gregory XVI granted the Plenary Indulgence to those who had confessed and taken communion at the sanctuary on the day of the feast of Mother Mary Adonai (5th August); of the Immaculate Conception; of the Nativity of the Blessed Virgin Mary; of the Purification and of the Assumption and declared the altar below the image of Blessed Virgin Mary to have special
privileges (Altare privilegiato quotidiano perpetua).
However, this altar, which was built in the 17th century was demolished in 1847 to make space for the existing altar which contained the portrait of the Virgin Mary inserted into a marble frame making it seem like a painting.
During the course of the final restoration of the sacred grotto, the tombs of the original hermits were found underneath the flooring.
The years 1866-1873 were a turbulent period, when as a result of the destructive laws of the new Italian state, the monks of the Adonai risked having the monastery and all their possessions confiscated. A legal controversy took place which concluded with the victory of the Brothers, even though during this whole period, upon the instructions of the Government, they were obliged to allow the workmen who were building the nearby railway, to live in the monastery with them.
Once more, at the end of the 19th century, the community of the Adonai momentarily underwent a new period of crisis.
During the first years of the 20th century, the number of Brothers progressively diminished, decreasing gradually from five to one. The grave crisis caused by the two World Wars which touched the whole of humanity was not extraneous to the definitive decline of the glorious monastery.
Following the death of the last hermit, Fra Antonino, on the 7th June 1950, the Sanctuary and the Hermitage were left empty for some time, and became the victims of sacrilegious vandals who devastated the buildings and stole everything, even the marble tabernacle, the bell and the large painting of 1815 showing the ordaining of Saint Neofito with the chronological memory of the area. In addition to the man-made damage, there was also the damage to the brickwork caused by old age.
In the 1970s the Sanctuary and the monastic structure were lent for about 15 years to an ecclesiastical community from Catania, under the leadership of a priest (Padre Ildebrando Santangelo) who with noteworthy effort and the help of volunteers improved the ancient hermitage. Later the whole area became part of the Catholic Diocese of Siracusa, but soon the Diocese became discouraged by the vandalism and were compelled to abandon the site.
Presently it is under the jurisdiction of the nearby Parish of Brucoli and the Hermitage and the Church are coming back to life from the ruins thanks to the attentive care and the work of volunteers.
During the course of the year the old monastery, which can accommodate 40 people, is able to give hospitality, albeit spartan, to groups of scouts, parish or church groups, for days or weeks of spiritual retreats or other independent courses.
Following the earthquake of 13th December 1990, in 2000 partial renovation and consolidation works were performed. In 2007 definitive restoration works were commenced.
During the summer period Mass is celebrated during the week and every year from time immemorial each 5th August, the Feast of the Madonna Adonai, there is the traditional pilgrimage. From 2007 on alternate years, the Madonna of Adonai is honoured with a religious feast.

The oasis of Christian peace and the cult of Saint Mother Mary Adonai is being re-born.

For a meeting and visits to the Sanctuary, it is necessary to contact the
Parish of San Nicola in Brucoli, 0931-981313 Mobile 3471979657.
Further information can be found on
Website: www.adonai.too.it
http://santuarioadonaibrucoli.blogspot.com