The structural damage done to the basilica of St. Francis of Assisi by an earthquake in 1997 has been repaired. As part of the enormous restoration effort, workers repaired the chapel of St. Nicholas, in the lower basilica, which for years had been closed to visitors. The chapel will be formally re-opened on December 6, with Italian culture minister Lorenzo Ornaghi presiding at the ceremony. During the restoration process, workers were able to confirm that frescoes in the St. Nicholas chapel–depicting St. Francis, St. John the Baptist, St. Mary Magdalene, and the Madonna and Child as well as St. Nicholas—were early works by Giotto.

via Post-earthquake restoration complete at Assisi basilica : News Headlines – Catholic Culture.

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Nice slide show video of the basilica. (Background music is very rough, may want to mute)

Wikipedia on basilica of St. Francis of Assisi.

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Ave Maria!  This beautiful story from the New York Times explains how the traditionally acclaimed miraculous statue of Our Mother of Monserrate is serving as a beacon of hope for the people of Ecuador following a 7.8 magnitude earthquake.

The earth shook and the steeple fell, taking most of the bell tower with it. A white facade gave way, leaving the pews open to the street.

But amid the wreckage at the basilica, one object remained untouched: Our Mother of Monserrate, the statue of the Virgin Mary for which the church was named.

Dressed in gold robes and wearing a tiny crown, she is only about three feet tall. But the statue, which landed on these shores from Spain in the 16th century, has long played an outsize role in the history of Montecristi.

She survived bombardment by pirates and became a rallying point for Catholics when a secular government expelled priests generations later. Every November, hundreds of thousands of pilgrims trek from across Ecuador for nine days of festivities in her honor.

Now, after a 7.8-magnitude earthquake upended the nation last weekend, the survival of Our Mother of Monserrate has become a symbol of the persistence of this hillside town.

Source: Virgin Mary Statue, Intact Among Ecuador’s Quake Ruins, Becomes a Beacon of Hope – The New York Times

The post The New York Times: Virgin Mary Statue, Intact Among Ecuador’s Quake Ruins, Becomes a Beacon of Hope first appeared on AirMaria.com.