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Contents1 Three or four wise men?2 The gifts of the Magi3 Artaban, the fourth King The Three Wise Men have always had a great fascination, although nothing is known about them. Today we want to tell you about a character whom we know even less:…
The Magi, fascinating and evocative figures of the Christmas tradition, brought gold, incense and myrrh as a gift to the Child Jesus. But what lies behind the choice of these particular gifts? The Three Kings and their gifts have for thousands of years been the…
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Every year, from October to January, the streets are filled with the warmth that only the Christmas atmosphere can give. We are carried away by this whirlwind of colours, sparkling lights and melodic songs that echo through the streets of the cities. Each of us, in our own small way, tries to recreate the same atmosphere and the same warmth, but to do so, one cannot ignore one of the most popular decorations of recent years: the wreaths. Decorations with a Nordic flavour have spread very quickly also in Italy. Let’s see together some ideas and suggestions to make the most of their potential.
Christmas wreaths are always a valid decoration, of different sizes, styles and colours, they easily adapt to any environment.
Placing the wreath on the front door is just one of the ways they can be used and probably the most classic one too. But are there other ways to use them? Experimentation is always possible just rely on your imagination and inspiration.
It can be used as a centrepiece, perhaps together with candles that recall the colour of the rest of the decorations, hung, like a painting, on a white wall, placed on shelves in your study corner or on the bookcase or as an alternative to classic window decorations, they certainly have more character.
The ideas are endless and trust me, none can be wrong.
The trends of this 2020 now running out suggest that the most popular wreaths are those that have neutral and natural colours at their base, the white of the snow, the green of the fir trees, the brown of the twigs and the red of the berries.
Among our favourites, there are those made solely with pine cones.
Natural or coloured, the pine cones wreaths recall nature without being banal, capable of breaking the monotony of the Christmas tables, especially if enriched with battery-powered LED mini lights.
Obviously, it all depends on the effect you want to achieve.
For those who love colours and prefer a wreath that stands out, an idea could be to buy one made up of many Christmas balls of different colours.
Many elements added to a simple green wreath can give it new life and a completely different character. So go ahead with ribbons, tapes, pine cones and bells to achieve the effect you really want.
For those who love simple and romantic things, a thread of warm lights to wrap a simple wreath of pine needles is the simplest, fastest and most effective solution.
Alternatively, you can choose to attach coloured ribbons or Christmas balls, it takes very little, a thread of twine or hot glue to fix the elements you prefer and obtain an always different effect.
If, on the other hand, you love experimentation and get out of the usual schemes, you can choose something that recalls the not too distant Provence, some sprigs of lavender, dried or fake, can be attached to a simple circular iron wire or for an even more particular effect, you can choose to mix more styles by adding the twigs to your wreath made with pine branches. Really très chic!
Contents1 Choose the Christmas tree2 What to put on the foot of the Christmas tree3 How to put the lights on the Christmas tree4 Christmas tree decorations, how and where to put them December 8th is the day when traditionally people gather to kick off…
Contents1 Red and gold Christmas tree2 White and gold Christmas tree3 Blue and silver Christmas tree4 Multicolour Christmas tree5 Pastel Christmas tree6 Black Christmas tree We have put together ideas to help you choose the combinations and colours, from the most classic to the most…
For Christmas lovers, it is never too early to dedicate themselves to the DIY nativity scene. There are those who create large nativity scenes, rich in effects and characters, carefully choosing the backdrop, the effects and the control units to be inserted in the crib, the accessories and the huts. There are those who, more simply, recover the statues and the moss of last year and reassemble the nativity scene by adding some changes. But if there is something that can make a small domestic crib as special as a large display crib, it is the effects of water. Who doesn’t want to have a river, a water mill or a fountain in their DIY nativity scene?
If you are passionate about the water effect for cribs, you will certainly have something to do with immersion pumps. Each movement of water is in fact obtained thanks to the action of a pump which, through a very simple mechanism, sucks the water from the tank in which it is immersed and makes it flow in a continuous flow.
Nativity Pumps: how to choose the right one
Pumps for nativity scenes, essential accessories to create suggestive effects of moving water for our nativity scene.
We have already talked about how to choose the crib pump that’s right for you, looking at the flow rate and prevalence characteristics. Now instead we come to the critical question of this article: what if the pump stops working?
The malfunction can be caused by limestone, remains of moss, gravel or sand that are deposited inside the mechanism. In this case, the pump can be cleaned with simple maintenance.
If the pump does not work even after cleaning, it is likely that the motor is burned out and needs to be replaced.
Read on to learn the simple maintenance and replacement procedures for the crib pump.
Here is what you need to do maintenance on the crib pump:
First, remove the pump from the tank in which it is located. If it is fixed with glue, you can heat it with a hair dryer to loosen the grip and detach the pump from the tray.
Create a solution by mixing the water with the white wine vinegar in the bowl, immerse the pump and leave it under water for at least 30 minutes. The vinegar will dissolve the limestone.
Then remove the pump from the water and vinegar solution and with the help of a screwdriver open the cover that closes the impeller inside the pump. With a brush remove any residues of limestone, sand, gravel, or moss.
Finally, rinse the pump with clean water.
For even more thorough cleaning, remove the impeller. The attachment is magnetic so it is very simple to both remove and reposition. Clean the impeller separately and insert it back into the pump.
At this point, the pump can be repositioned in the tray and fixed thanks to the suction cup feet or with hot glue, and your water effect will return to amaze as before.
The pump may continue to fail even after cleaning the limescale. The most likely reason is that the moped has burned out. As we explained to you in the article on choosing the crib pump, this can be easily avoided by using the pump always completely immersed in water: the motor is cooled and any risk of overheating is avoided.
In case you find yourself in the situation of having a non-functioning pump, you will have to choose a new pump to replace the broken one.
There are two things to watch out for:
Once you have purchased a suitable crib pump, you can proceed with the replacement.
First, disconnect the hose to which the broken pump is connected; then, with the help of a hair dryer if it is fixed with glue, remove it from the tray.
Attach the hose to the new pump and place it in the bowl. To fix the hose to the pump and the pump to the tank you can use hot glue.
The water effect will be ready again to make your nativity scene special!
Lovers of the DIY nativity scene, dive into the world of rock paper! Which one will you choose: traditional or modelable rock paper? Christmas is approaching and, while the mass market focuses on sequins and glitter decorations, there are some who are thinking of stocking…
Contents1 A wall with lights and photos2 Glass vases with Christmas lights3 Christmas Lights for Outdoors: a must-have for the whole year4 Christmas lights in the bedroom, a magical touch for children5 Bookcase with Lights6 Safety, an aspect not to be underestimated Christmas lights are…
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At Christmas, the nativity scene cannot be missing in the home of a Christian family. It does not need to be large, with many characters and scenarios, even just a small representation of the Nativity is enough, with the Holy Family united in a symbolic picture of love. The Madonna, Saint Joseph, the Child Jesus, and perhaps the ox and the donkey.
All over the world, the nativity scene is a symbol of Christmas, and in our country in particular it boasts an ancient tradition full of suggestions still alive and felt today, which are renewed every year, as we can admire in the cities and villages that host the most beautiful and famous nativity scenes in Italy.
But the representation of the Nativity of Our Lord is widespread all over the world, with different declinations, characteristic characters, settings that are only apparently far from what we are used to knowing and conceiving us, the hut of Bethlehem, with its now codified protagonists, many of which symbolic, as in the Neapolitan crib.
What we want to focus on in this article dedicated to crib control units is that all Christians in the world celebrate the birth of the Son of God, and those who love the crib want to make it unique and unrepeatable every year. We think in particular of the DIY nativity scene enthusiasts, who create real reconstructions of the Nativity, small domestic works of art, but also of those who simply want to make their home nativity scene more evocative and atmospheric.
Here’s how a crib controller can help us.
To begin with, let’s clarify what crib control units are and what they are for. These are electrical devices that help us create various scenic effects in our crib. This can be light, sound or motion effects. In any case, they can greatly contribute to making our small or large crib really special.
There are two types of control units: traditional incandescent or LED ones. In this article in particular we will deepen the traditional ones.
The traditional incandescent control units can in turn be of different types:
In general, all our systems provide for the possibility of connecting multiple devices, even using a power strip, to regulate multiple lighting, audio or movement effects. Just stay within the power allowed by the control unit. For example: if the control unit supports 80W, then you can put 2 movements of 40W or 4 movements of 20W. If during the day you need the synchro effect for the movements of characters such as the baker, butcher etc., for the night you can put a sleeping figurine or a scene with a drunk instead. In addition, with our control units, you can move ovens and fires, fountains, and streams.
In general, it is very important to be careful of the maximum limits of the power of each grip and not to exceed them, to avoid problems. If too many devices are connected to the control unit, the fuse may blow. In this case, it will need to be replaced. All our control units have an integrated spare fuse.
Let’s start with the simplest control unit, the one that has only two phases: day and night. The device we propose is the Natalino 200R: day and night fade control unit, equipped with two sockets to which the lights for the two phases day and night are connected.
Natalino determines a cycle of fading between the lights, with a transition effect that recreates the atmosphere of the alternation of day and night.The cycle duration can be set with a small controller and ranges from a minimum of 20 seconds to a maximum of about 3 minutes.
Even if the device has only two sockets, it can also support more lights, using a power strip or an adapter, as long as the voltage limits supported by the control unit itself are respected. Suitable for a small nativity scene with statuettes that remain stationary.
If you need to recreate the day/night alternation not only with the lights but also accompanying it with differentiated movements, you can orient yourself towards the next model, the Natalino 2 + 2 which provides both the day and night fading effect and a series of synchronized movements.
The Natalino 2 + 2 is also extremely simple and practical: there is a DISSOLV. socket DAY, to which all the lamps necessary for daylighting must be connected, and a DAY SYNC socket to which you will connect all the movement effects relating to the day. The same happens for the night, with the two DISSOLV. sockets. NIGHT and NIGHT SYNC. A knob adjusts the duration of the entire cycle.
The difference between the light sockets and the motion sockets is clear: the fader sockets for the lights send a current that gradually increases in power creating the effect of fading in transition, while the sync sockets send the current all at once. It is very important not to be mistaken and not to connect the crib lights to the sync socket and the other motion devices to the fading socket, because if the motion device receives current gradually, problems are created for the mechanisms.
Another fundamental thing is that you connect only resistive loads to the FADE OUT sockets, i.e. incandescent or halogen lamps at mains voltage, such as filament bulbs (220V).
Obviously, if you need elements that continue to move both day and night, indifferently, such as a river or a waterfall, you will have to connect the movement device to a separate socket, not subject to the day and night cycle.
In our catalogue, you will also find 4-phase control units, which provide for the alternation of SUNRISE-DAY-SUNSET-NIGHT.
The Natalino N502, equipped with 6 sockets, provides 4 fading phases for the DAWN-DAY-SUNSET-NIGHT lights and 2 synchronized sockets with the phases for the other effects, such as character motors, sound recorders, movements, electronic effects and whatever else.
The DAY EFFECTS socket is synchronized with the SUNRISE-DAY-EVENING phases, the NIGHT EFFECTS socket is synchronized with the NIGHT socket. We, therefore, have 6 sockets, 2 for the night (NIGHT EFFECTS FADE) and 2 for the day (DAY EFFECTS FADE) and another 2 fades for DAWN and EVENING, to which we can connect lights with suitable colours to create the transition.
Then there are even more complex devices, such as the talking Natalino with kit Fading dawn, day, dusk, night. The basic structure is the same as the traditional Natalino, but this device is technologically much more advanced and improved in performance. The main innovation was the elimination of 220V for absolute safety, and the fades of the various phases are all LED.
In addition, the system allows dynamic adjustment of the cycle duration from one minute to ten minutes and is equipped with a new audio system, stereo and with external amplifier socket.
In addition to fading effects between the various phases of the day, this device allows you to adjust sounds, lights and effects: fading stars with flickering, house lights, fire LEDs, soundtrack with adjustable volume and audio jack, for birds chirping, the crowing of the cock, the lightning and thunder effect (possibility to exclude it if unwanted).
The audio system automatically recognizes the duration of the phase and programs itself accordingly. The outputs of the stars and of the house lights have been doubled and expansions will be possible for the use of numerous other accessories. SYL devices can be added separately and connected to other phases if 230V sockets are required.
Of course, our catalogue also offers a wide range of nativity lights, as well as lamps, lamp holders and jellies to create your favourite colour effects. For example, the 40W wood effect filament lamp is a must for all cribs.
It is a filament lamp with a wood effect that can also be used in fading, essential for the night effect lighting of small cribs, but also very useful for adults. Its matching E14 lamp holder is also available.
Even in the section of the moving figurines for cribs, you can indulge yourself. In particular, you will find a truly varied and rich catalogue of moving figurines made for the Neapolitan crib, one of the cribs par excellence of our tradition.
Animated statues in the Neapolitan Nativity scene
The Nativity scene is one of the most famous and spread traditions connected to Christmas.
All the figurines of the Neapolitan Holyart nativity scene are made entirely by hand in Italy, in Naples, and come alive thanks to motorized systems hidden in the folds of the clothes, gears manufactured by hand by highly experienced artisans, to give life to your nativity scene and recreate a timeless atmosphere.
Finally, even the nativity hut needs accessories that embellish it and make it truly the beating heart of the nativity scene. Especially if you have opted for a DIY nativity scene, in our catalogue you will find many solutions suitable for all needs and budgets, to create your perfect nativity hut and give it all the realism and magic it deserves.
Contents1 What are they?2 Why is water so important for the Nativity scene?3 How to choose the Nativity scene pumps?4 Water pump maintenance Pumps for nativity scenes, essential accessories to create suggestive effects of moving water for our nativity scene. Let’s find out how to…
Contents1 Martyrdom of Saint John the Baptist2 Saint Stephen3 Saint Agnese4 Saint Sebastian5 Saint Lawrence6 Saint Barbara7 Cosmas and Damian8 Saint Lucia The Holy Martyrs are men and women, often very young, who sacrificed their lives for the love of God, and for this reason,…
Hardstone rosaries have always been a less expensive, but no less beautiful, alternative to precious stone rosaries. In our online catalogue, you will find a wide selection of rosaries in precious stones, but also rosaries in semiprecious stones, such as malachite, tiger’s eye, aventurine, hematite, amethyst, rose quartz, lapis lazuli. They could be a great gift idea for the approaching October. In fact, as we have already mentioned in a previous article, October is the month of the rosary.
October: the month of the Holy Rosary
What is the connection between the fall month with what is probably the most important and popular devotional form in the world?
Where does this tradition come from? October is called the Month of the Rosary because the Blessed Virgin Mary of the Rosary is celebrated on 7 October. The choice of this particular date for the devotion to the Blessed Virgin Mary of the Rosary is to be found in various historical events, including the apparition of the Madonna to San Domenico, founder of the Dominican order, which took place in that month in 1208 in Prouille. The choice of day 7 would instead be attributed to the battle of Lepanto. On 7 October 1571 the fleets of the Ottoman Empire and that of the Holy League, which brought together the forces of the Republic of Venice, Spain, the Papal State, Genoa, the Knights of Malta, the Duchy of Savoy, the Grand Duchy of Tuscany, of the Duchy of Urbino, of the Republic of Lucca, of the Duchy of Ferrara and the Duchy of Mantua, faced each other. With the overwhelming victory of the Holy League, the Muslim empire in Europe began its decline. Legend has it that Pope Pius V on the eve of the battle had blessed the banner of the League which depicted the Crucifix flanked by the apostles Peter and Paul on a red background. Above it, Constantine’s motto In hoc signo vinces headed. When the battle was over, the Pontiff had a vision in which the announcement was made that the League had won. Subsequently, after the Pope decided to consecrate that particular occasion to the Blessed Virgin of the Rosary, the belief also spread that, before the battle, all the soldiers of the League had invoked Mary’s protection upon themselves by reciting the Rosary.
Regardless of the beliefs relating to October, the Rosary remains one of the devotional objects par excellence. Its practice is linked to the precept of Jesus, who invited us to pray, to pray always, without getting tired. We believe it is interesting to dwell not only on the spiritual value of the Rosary but also on the exquisitely material one. We are not only talking about the fact that it can be composed of more or less precious materials, just like the semi-precious stones we will talk about in this article, but also about how these particular necklaces are worked, and why a stone can be rarer than another.
We have dedicated an interesting article to how to make a DIY rosary in a few simple steps. An original idea to create your rosary yourself, or to make a unique and special one give to someone we care about. In our store, you will find a convenient complete kit to make your Rosary, with everything you need, from the cord to the closing hooks, to the metallic finishes, to the cross, as well as different ornaments to create your favourite variant.
DIY Rosaries in few easy steps
Reciting the Rosary has always been seen as a way to fulfill one’s duty as a Christian …
Returning to how a Rosary is made, we remember that the Rosary crown is made up of fifty-three small beads that symbolise the prayers of the Hail Mary, six larger beads (or of a different colour) that symbolise the Our Father and Gloria, and a Crucifix. The grains are held together by a cord of various materials, usually nylon.
The cord must be about one metre long, and a point 15 cm from the end will be identified on it with a ruler. Here you will have to tie a knot and start composing the crown, threading the beads. The first ten beads will make up the first ten, then they will be stopped with another knot, after which a large grain that symbolises the Our Father will be inserted. So four times, until five tens are completed. After having inserted the last grain of the Our Father, the Rosary is closed with a knot. At this point, you only need to compose the hanging part, with the addition of a possible cross, the medal that divides the two parts of the Rosary, a large grain for the Our Father, three beads for the three Hail Marys, a last grain for the Our Father. The cross will complete our Rosary.
How to choose the semi-precious stones that will make up our Rosary? It has always been believed that stones have particular, energetic properties. The choice of the hard stone to create a Rosary is mainly linked to the processing methods and the aesthetic taste, but some of those suggestions have come down to us. Let’s see some features related to the various stones that make up the rosary necklaces that you find in our shop.
Amethyst is a type of macrocrystalline quartz, which owes its particular purple colour to the iron present inside. It is a very appreciated and used stone since ancient times, for its beauty and its wonderful light.
Amethysts come mainly from Brazil, Uruguay, and Africa, and it is possible to trace the origin of a stone precisely from the intensity of its colour, as well as from its size. It must be said that the more uniform and intense the colour of the amethyst, the more the value of the stone increases. Amethyst is also particularly popular because it lends itself to particular shapes and cuts. Its name derives from the Greek ‘amethystos‘, “he who does not get drunk”. In fact, in ancient times it was believed that this stone made people immune to getting drunk! Perhaps this is why, according to crystal therapy, amethyst can purify the blood and fight headaches. Not only that, but it would help concentration and rest. It also favours meditation and prayer. The Greeks said that Amethyst was originally a nymph threatened by Dionysus, the god of wine. The goddess Artemis, to protect her, transformed her into a beautiful stone. Dionisio, seized by anger, threw a cup of wine on the precious crystal, which has since taken on the purplish colour that everyone appreciates. And, perhaps, also its power to counteract the effects of wine!
Amethyst lends itself both to the making of jewels and to that of small objects. If processed at high temperatures it can turn into citrine quartz.
Hematite is a mineral, in this case, an oxide. Its name derives from the Greek word ‘haimatites‘, “similar to blood”. For this reason, it is commonly called ‘blood stone‘, also for the colour that the water used for its processing takes on. It is also called the ‘iron rose‘ because it sometimes crystallises into the shape of a metallic flower. Like the amethyst, it comes in particular from Brazil, but also the Alps and the Island of Elba. The word ‘pencil’ would derive from hematite because this stone was originally used to make pencils. In ancient times, it was believed that it could banish diseases from the body. According to crystal therapy, it has the power to absorb nervousness and excess energy. Helps to find balance and courage.
Pumice, or volcanic stone, is formed by the sudden cooling of the magma that came into contact with the air and solidified. Hence its black colour. It is also used for massages because it can absorb heat and then release it gradually. Pumice also absorbs excess energy and helps with emotional balance. Used in the past mainly for road paving, today it is also widely used in the jewellery industry. Its porous consistency makes it easily workable. Pumice jewels have an irregular surface, are very pleasant to the touch, and are crossed by small holes produced by the gas during the solidification of the magma. They can have a matte or glossy finish.
Fossil stones can also be used to create magnificent jewellery. These stones have formed over the millennia thanks to the stratification of plant and animal remains. This is why their colouring can vary a lot.
Angelite is a mineral formed mostly of anhydrous calcium sulfate. Its real name would be anhydrite, but it is called Angelite when it is blue. Its colour ranges from pale to bright blue. In nature, it is found in clusters. Its name comes from the Greek ‘anhydras‘, “without water”. It is extracted mainly in Italy, in the canton of Vaud (Switzerland), in Austria, Poland, but also in India, New Jersey, Texas, Louisiana.
Agate is a silicon oxide, a variety of chalcedony, or quartz, formed by triangular crystals. Semi-transparent, it is usually white or grey or blue, but yellow, green, red, even black or streaked agates are also found. It is extracted from volcanic quarries mainly in Brazil, India, Asia Minor, China. It takes its name from the Greek ‘achátes‘, perhaps because the first stones of this kind were collected in the bed of the Agato river in Sicily. Considered a stone linked to the spiritual sphere, in ancient times it was considered magical.
Coral is not a hard stone, but the limestone skeleton of tiny marine organisms, which gather in colonies and create this very hard barrier to protect themselves. Coral is formed mainly in warm, clear and calm waters, both in tropical areas and in the Mediterranean. Indeed, the most prized coral is produced in the Mediterranean, the red one, while corals from other sources are usually white, green, brown. Each piece of coral is unique, due to its organic origin, and therefore very precious. Once harvested, the coral is cleaned, sanded and then cut, although it is often chosen to keep its natural ramifications as an ornament. Legend has it that the coral was born from the blood that came out of the neck of Medusa, the Gorgon, beheaded by Perseus. In ancient times it was considered an excellent remedy for anaemia and today it is used to combat anxiety.
In our store, you will also find rosaries in carnelian, a chalcedony that owes its red colour to the iron it contains, a symbol of life for the Egyptians; green aventurine, quartz containing various minerals in random proportion, which also gave its name to a particular Murano glass; lapis lazuli, silicate of sulfur, sodium and aluminium with intense blue colour, already widely used by the ancient Egyptians; turquoise, copper and aluminium phosphate with a characteristic blue colour, used by shamans and Egyptians to communicate with spirits; tiger’s eye, silicon oxide from the quartz family, with yellow-gold reflections on a dark background, stone of balance and masculine energy; jade, sodium and aluminium silicate with a splendid emerald green colour; onyx, a type of opaque grey to black chalcedony quartz, used since prehistoric times as an ornament.
Christmas lights are a suggestive and essential tradition during the holidays, and not only in our country. This is how they were born. The custom of lighting the house on the occasion of Christmas has ancient origins and that sink in the profound religious sense of Christian…
Contents1 The tradition of plaster statues2 The production phases3 Casting4 Drying5 Cleaning up6 Refinishing7 Dyeing8 The choice of chalk Plaster sacred statues have belonged to the Italian artisan tradition since antiquity. Let’s discover this ancient and always current art. Sacred statues and figurines of the…
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In reality, there were five children of Nicephorus and Theodotus, both Christians, who lived in the fourth century and were originally from Arabia. In addition to the saints Cosmas and Damian there were their three younger brothers, the saints Antimo, Leontius and Euprepius. All five grew up in the faith, educated by their devout mother, and all died martyrs in 303 A.D. in the city of Cyrus, in Antioch, or perhaps in Aegean, during the terrible persecution called by Diocletian.
Cosmas and Damian had studied medicine in Syria, which at the time was a Roman province, and practised medicine in Ægea, a port city on the Gulf of Alexandretta in Cilicia. Not much more is known about their lives, but among the people, they were reputed to be anargiri, “without silver” or “without money”, because they did not charge for their services. It is said that they were also very brave, and this would have been amply demonstrated in the face of martyrdom and that they put the good of others before everything else.
A fascinating aspect of these two holy twin martyrs is that they did not limit themselves to caring for the sick, to healing the wounds of the body. Their activity as doctors soon became a way to spread the Word of Jesus, to heal the souls of those who turned to them for help and comfort. Meditating men, women and children Cosmas and Damian also succeeded in converting them to Christianity.
This activity of proselytising annoyed the Romans and in particular Lysias, the governor of the province. He tried to convince the two brothers to convert and to make sacrifices to the pagan gods but in vain. It is said that the two saints were so firm, courageous and serene in their trial that they deserved the name of athletes of God.
Among the many torments suffered by the holy martyrs who have sacrificed their lives in the name of God, the martyrdom of Saints Cosmas and Damian is among the bloodiest and most terrible described by martyrologists. Of them, it is said that they were martyred not once, but five times.
According to the sources they were stoned, then flogged, crucified and hit with darts and spears, thrown into the sea in a sack with a rock hanging around their necks and burned in a burning furnace. But the rocks bounced against their tormentors, the arrows returned against those who had thrown them, the whip broke their bodies, but did not bend their souls, the angels untied the ties that closed the sacks with which they were thrown into the sea and the flames flared and roared against the executioners.
In the end, they were beheaded, and with them were the younger brothers Antimo, Leontius and Euprepius.
Although the Catholic Church recognises 26 September (27 September in extraordinary form) as a celebration of the memory of Saints Cosmas and Damian, in reality, there are three different traditions related to their lives, each with a different day dedicated to them.
The cult born in Constantinople, the capital of the Byzantine empire, gave life to an Asian tradition, which celebrates the two holy healers on 1 November.
The Arab tradition places instead the celebration of their memory on 17 October.
Finally, the Roman tradition, although originally from Syria, on 1 July.
The Orthodox Church leaves the free choice between these three days, for those who follow the cult of the two saints.
The choice of 26 September as the day of the liturgical commemoration of Saints Cosmas and Damian by the Catholic Church is linked to the basilica in the Roman Forum dedicated to them by Pope Felix IV (526 – 530). This basilica was erected in 526 where once stood the ancient Templum Romuli and the Bibliotheca Pacis, the Temple of Peace, and from the beginning, the pontiff promoted the worship of the two saints in opposition to that of two other famous twins, the pagan Castor and Pollux, the Dioscuri sons of Leda and Jupiter. The basilica was dedicated to the two saints on 27 September and later Pope Paul VI moved the date of their memory to 26 September.
Loved and held in high esteem in life, Cosmas and Damian saw their worship flourish immediately after their tragic death. They were buried at Cyrus in Cilicia and a sanctuary was soon erected on their tomb, visited by countless pilgrims. Those who went there did so to honour their remains, but also to invoke help against diseases of all kinds. In fact, from the origins of their cult, Cosmas and Damian can be counted among the Holy Healers to turn against diseases. Even the Justinian Emperor obtained a miraculous healing thanks to them and ordered that the sanctuary dedicated to them be expanded and transformed into a basilica. Thus the cult of the two holy thaumaturgists spread throughout the Byzantine Empire and, thanks to trade between East and West, it also reached Rome, where Pope Symmachus (498-514) built an oratory dedicated to them.
Cosmas and Damian were the last saints to be included in the canon of the Tridentine Mass, which lists the names of the Apostles followed by those of twelve martyrs. They’re the last ones.
Many churches were dedicated to them in the East and West, from Constantinople to Asia Minor, from Greece to Jerusalem and countless artists, including Blessed Angelico, Filippo Lippi and Sandro Botticelli immortalised their history in paintings and frescoes that became timeless works of art. Statues of saints adorn the churches of all Christianity.
We have already mentioned the construction of the Basilica of Saints Cosmas and Damian by the will of Pope Felix IV. It was the first Christian basilica to be built in the area of the Roman Forum and has the dignity of a minor basilica. The splendid mosaic still visible today in the apse of the basilica was created precisely to attest that this was the first place of Christian worship in an area once reserved for the temples of the pagan gods. Here the relics of Saints Cosmas and Damian were moved and placed under the lower altar of the basilica.
The pope decided to join two pre-existing buildings that had been abandoned for years: the Pacis library, which was part of the Forum of Peace built by the emperor Vespasian, and the Temple of Romulus built by the emperor Maxentius at the beginning of the fourth century and covered by one of the largest domes in Rome.
In the Middle Ages, the basilica was a destination for pilgrimages, but also a place of care and assistance for the sick and needy. It was also a centre of Marian devotion and the image of Our Lady of Health was placed there by the will of Pope Gregory the Great, who told how, as he passed by the church, he was apostrophised by the Mother of God who said to him: “Gregory, why don’t you greet me anymore, as you always did?”
In 760 the church was joined by the Oratory of Saint Peter in Silica, famous for its miraculous water.
After seven chapels had been added to the nave of the basilica during the pontificate of Clement VIII, in 1626 it was almost completely rebuilt, with the demolition of the Roman walls, the construction of a new floor and the displacement of the chapels and altars. The reconstruction was completed in 1632.
In the Golden Legend Jacopo da Varazze tells of a man on the verge of death, due to a gangrene that had devoured his leg. He was the humble sacristan of the basilica dedicated to the saints Cosmas and Damian in Rome, and he called on them to put an end to the frightening pain that tore his body and soul. Immediately he fell into a deep sleep and in his sleep, he saw the two saints approach him, one with a knife, the other with a tray of medicines and wraps. He also heard them speak, and one proposed to the other to replace the rotten leg with a new one, taken from the body of an Ethiopian buried that day in the cemetery of San Pietro in Vincoli.
When the sacristan woke up all pain had ceased. His leg was completely healed, only he was as black as pitch!
Among the miracles attributed to the two saints, one concerns Cosmas’ desire not to be buried with his twin brother, after the latter had accepted three eggs as a gift from a farmer, Palladia, miraculously healed by him.
However, after their death, while they were preparing to bury them separately to comply with this request, those who had witnessed their death saw a camel that told them that Damian had accepted the eggs only to not humiliate the poor woman and therefore should not be blamed. So Cosmas and Damian were buried side by side.
Contents1 Saint Matthew the Apostle2 Martyrdom of Saint Matthew3 Saint Matthew the Evangelist On 21 September, Saint Matthew is celebrated evangelist, apostle and martyr. Who was he and how did he become an apostle? Saint Matthew the Evangelist is considered the author of one of…
Contents1 The origins of worship2 The Seven Pains Suffered by Mary3 Mary, all the suffering of a mother4 The depictions of Our Lady of Sorrows Our Lady of Sorrows is a name attributed to Mary, mother of Jesus. This is how secular devotion to Mater…
Why write an article about the nativity of Mary? We all know well the story of Mary of Nazareth, the girl chosen by God to become the mother of Jesus, the Saviour. Since childhood, we are urged to consider her a kind of heavenly mother, who loves us as much as our real mother, and who in the same way loves all the children of the world. Growing up, this is one of the few sweet fairy tales that never ceases to be real. Because truly Our Lady continues to be the merciful Mother of all humanity, the one who, by virtue of her privileged bond with Jesus, can take charge of all the sufferings of men, to bring them to the attention of the Father and act as an intermediary between him and all his creatures.
It is thanks to Mary that God the Father wanted and was able to be reconciled with man. Another famous female figure, Eve, had caused the loss of grace for all humanity and the expulsion from Earthly Paradise. As Eve was cursed by God for her sin, and with her all women (“I will multiply your sorrows and your pregnancies, with sorrow you will bear children.” Genesis 3:16), the Virgin Mary was blessed among women. “You are blessed among women”, the archangel Gabriel tells her when he presents himself to announce her forthcoming motherhood. And this blessing, this choice made by God to bring His Son into the world, and with him salvation for all, is determined precisely by Mary, by how she is made, by her mild, sweet character, by her simplicity, but also by the courage with which she accepted to assume the not easy role that the Almighty had wanted for her.
We dedicated an article to the evolution of the figure of woman and mother from Eve to Mary in which we explored precisely this aspect of Mary’s life. Because of its importance in the history of humanity, we have also included Mary among the 10 Christian women who changed the Church and the world.
From Eve to Mary: the figure of the Mother in the Bible
The mother, pillar of every family, beating heart and source of life for those who gravitate around her.
But here we would like to take a step back and talk about the nativity of the Virgin Mary. Yes, because Maria was a child before she became the extraordinary woman we know. She had a mom before she was a mom herself. Her mother’s name was Anna and, although she is not mentioned in the Sacred Scriptures, she is nevertheless venerated as a saint in turn, and with her also Mary’s father, Saint Joachim. Both of Mary’s parents are celebrated on 26 July, the same day that Grandparents Day is celebrated.
The story of Saint Anne Mother of Mary
On July 26, St. Anne and St. Joachim, the parents of the Virgin Mary, are celebrated. Let’s find out why.
Let’s discover together something more about the birth of Mary Most Holy and her childhood with Joachim and Anna.
But why is the Nativity of Mary celebrated on 8 September? In reality, there is no precise information regarding Our Lady’s date of birth. A tradition makes it coincide with 5 August, the day on which the Madonna della Neve is celebrated, which in the fourth century AD covered the Esquiline hill with a miraculous snowfall, where the Basilica of Santa Maria Maggiore will then be erected. The same date was indicated in 1984 by Our Lady of Medjugorje to the visionaries as their birthday.
The tradition that places the birth of Mary on September 8 is linked to the construction of the Basilica of Saint Anne in Jerusalem, in the fourth century AD, built in the place where once stood the house where the parents of Mary, Anna and Joachim, lived, and where the Mother of Jesus would be born.
In the East, the birth of Mary was celebrated in the fourth century, just after the construction of the aforementioned Basilica. Later the tradition of celebrating the birth of Mary on 8 September also arrived in Constantinople and the Byzantine Church made this devotion its own, associating it with that of the Conception.
In the seventh century Pope Sergius I introduced the feast of the Nativity of Mary also in the West, celebrating it with a solemn procession that ran through the streets of Rome from the church of San Adriano al Foro to the Basilica of Santa Maria Maggiore.
The information we have about Joachim and Anna, parents of Mary, comes from James’ Protogospel, an apocryphal text excluded from the canon of the Sacred Scriptures. Similarly, the Gospel of the pseudo-Matthew, written in Latin in the 8th-10th century, mentions Mary’s parents. In the Gospels of Luke and Matthew, there are shreds of information that allow us to reconstruct at least in part the Virgin’s childhood.
Also, the Golden Legend, the collection of hagiographical biographies composed by the Dominican friar Jacopo da Varazze between 1260 and 1298, reports some episodes of the life of Mary, Saint Anne and Saint Joachim, many of whom inspired great artists of the past to realize sacred works of art that became immortal.
Meanwhile, we would like to recall the miraculous circumstances of Mary’s conception, which, as we know, was born pure, never touched by original sin, as is the case with all other men and women. The dogma of the Immaculate Conception makes Mary holy from her conception, purified from all evil and preserved from sin to become the mother of Jesus.
As we saw talking about Saint Anne, she and her husband Joachim could not have children. Sterility was considered the worst of misfortunes in Jewish culture because it was attributed to some divine punishment. Joachim, a devout man, chose to depart from the Temple when he was prevented from making sacrifices to God because of his barrenness. He withdrew into the desert, among the shepherds, never ceasing to pray to God. Even Anna, left by her husband, did not stop praying, and finally, their faith was rewarded: an angel appeared to both announcing the imminent birth of a child. The heavenly messenger told them that she should be called Mary and that she would live in the Temple, for she was destined to bear the Son of God.
The bride and groom were reunited, greeting each other with a kiss at the Golden Gate of Jerusalem.
Thus Mary was born, and at first, lived in the house of Saint Joachim and Saint Anne. Here she was educated by her mother in prayer and devotion to God, while she also learned all that a woman had to know about how to manage a house and a family. She was then taken to the Temple to be instructed by the chief priests. It is said that Mary joyfully welcomed the prospect of leaving her father’s house to go to that austere and solemn place, as if in her, still a child, the awareness of what her destiny would be was already throbbing.
According to the hagiographic tradition, Mary lived her childhood in the Temple, dividing herself between the prayers and visits of the angels. Her character was sweet and meek, an anticipation of the splendid young woman who would have welcomed upon herself the mission that God wanted to propose to her. A choice that would change the fate of the world.
Devotion to Mary the Child has its roots in the history of the oldest popular devotions. Surely the first devotional forms derive from the Eastern liturgy.
The cult of the Nativity of Mary was already cultivated in Milan in the tenth century, and on 20 October 1572 Saint Charles Borromeo consecrated the cathedral to the nascent Mary.
Around 1720, a Franciscan nun, Sister Chiara Isabella Fornari, who loved to model wax faces of Jesus as a child and Mary as a child, gave the Capuchin Sisters of Santa Maria degli Angeli in Milan a pretty wax statue depicting Mary as a newborn wrapped in bands. Thanks to this simulacrum, devotion to Mary the Child had a strong expansion and spread everywhere. Even today, the sisters of the Congregation of Sisters of Charity of Lovere in Milan are called Sisters of Mary the Child. The statuette was entrusted to these nuns in the mid-1900s. Since they were dedicated to the care and comfort of the sick at the Ciceri hospital in Milan, the statue of Mary Child became a point of reference and comfort for both the nuns and the sick, and in 1884 it was also attributed miraculous healing. Since then, on 9 September of each year, the miracle is celebrated.
