We hear the word “plague” and immediately picture beak masks, smoke, devastation, and death everywhere.
This was, indeed, part of the reality for Venetians in 1630, when the plague visited the Floating City for the fourth time in four centuries. In two years, 700,000 Venetians succumbed to the disease—a crippling loss to an already hugely-reduced population.
The Venetians, however, knew they were not alone. They knew that this was not the end for them. They had hope.
Why?
Because the city placed itself in the hands of the Blessed Mother. When 12,000 people died in November alone, the Doge of the city declared that Venice would make a week of public prayer. Following this week, the citizens processed throughout the city every Saturday for 15 weeks, bearing before them an icon of the Blessed Mother.
This icon, purported to have been painted by St. Luke himself, was already beloved in the city. Imagine how much devotion to it grew when the plague ended soon afterward.
The city built a magnificent church—Santa Maria della Salute—to house the icon, and every year a huge feast is celebrated, thanking the Blessed Mother for restoring Venice to health.
This story of Venice reminds us that the Blessed Mother’s intercession has no limitations. Another increasingly-beloved devotion to her is that of Mary Undoer of Knots. We have intentionally designed a beautiful Mary Undoer of Knots Decade Rosary for you or those you know who need the Blessed Mother’s help. This decade will be an anchor through the tough times and the good. Available today from The Catholic Company!
