Thunderstruck on the road to Damascus, a saying that hides a story of deep faith and spiritual conversion. The protagonist? One of the most revered saints of all time

When we say of someone who was thunderstruck on the road to Damascus, we mean that a person was swept away by an event so momentous and shattering that it changed his or her life in a profound and significant way. However, perhaps not all of us know where this saying originated. Well, the origin of this expression is to be found in the story of St. Paul the Apostle, and in particular the moment when he ceased to be Saul of Tarsus, a tent-maker, a Hellenized Jew, awarded Roman citizenship, and above all a proud and terrible persecutor of Christians, to become Paul, the apostle to the Gentiles (the pagans), the main missionary of the Gospel of Jesus among Greeks and Romans.

We have devoted an article to the human and religious story of Paul of Tarsus. Here we would like to focus on the key episode of his existence, the moment of his conversion, when precisely he was stuck by lighting on the road to Damascus.

The conversion of St. Paul

The episode is recounted by Paul himself in some of his Letters, and also in the Acts of the Apostles. While pursuing a group of Christians fleeing toward Damascus, Paul was struck by a great dazzling light that blinded him, and he heard a stentorian voice asking, “Saul, Saul, why do you persecute me?” And he answered, “Who are you O Lord?”; and the voice, “I am Jesus whom you persecute. Now rise up and enter the city, and you will be told what you must do” (Acts 9:3-7). It was perhaps 35 A.D. and Paul was on his way to Damascus with a formal assignment from the Sanhedrin in Jerusalem authorizing him to persecute the Christians in that city. Of course, none of this happened: after his extraordinary experience, Saul converted to Christianity and made the spread of the Word of Christ his one and only mission in life. So much so that he is remembered as the most fervent of the Apostles, and this even though he had never met Jesus!

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Gospel and Acts of the Apostles New Edition

Gospel ad Acts of the Apostels official new translation. The new CEI translation of the Gospel and Acts of the Apostles…

Perhaps because of this indirect knowledge, he did not find it necessary in his writings to repeat Jesus’ words and tell His story, as happened in the Gospels, but was able to focus on the doctrinal foundations underlying Christian theology of all times, on Christ’s mission, on the value of His human experience, on the Salvation He embodied. In the Epistles of St. Paul there is the very meaning of Christianity, and it is amazing when we consider that he wrote them two thousand years ago! After his conversion Paul preached at first to the Jews, then, on the strength of his Hellenistic education, to the Romans and Greeks, traveling through Arabia, Achaia, and Asia Minor. Hated by the same Christian Jews he had once persecuted; he risked lynching and was arrested several times. He met his fate in Rome during Nero’s persecution.

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Saint Paul statue in coloured wood

Statue representing Saint Paul painted with oil colours and covered with gold foil. Statue in maple wood, hand painted…

The conversion of St. Paul is celebrated with a holiday on January 25, and the episode has inspired countless artistic masterpieces over the centuries. Think in particular of The Conversion of St. Paul painted by Caravaggio and preserved in the Cerasi Chapel of the Basilica of Santa Maria del Popolo in Rome. In the painting Saul is portrayed on the ground, overwhelmed by divine light, and a large horse with a raised hoof stands over him, occupying a significant part of the painting. The figure of Christ is missing, but the painting is surrounded by an unprecedented dramatic realism, where light also plays a key role, contrasting with the dark background.

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Hand-painted icon of Saint Paul

Hand-painted icon depicting Saint Paul, according to the Christian interpretations…

There is another version of the conversion of St. Paul thunderstruck on the road to Damascus, also painted by Caravaggio and preserved in the Odescalchi Private Collection in Rome. It too depicts the moment when Saul was blinded by the light of Jesus, who here, however, is depicted in the right corner of the painting. He is leaning toward the figure of Saul, his arms outstretched as if to welcome Him, while an angel holds Him up. Here, too, Saul has fallen from his horse and is covering his eyes to shield them from the light, while the soldier beside him seems to be completely unaffected.

Nativity moss, a precious gift from nature for our Holidays, deserves to be carefully preserved

Everyone likes the natural and inimitable effect of crib moss. Although collecting moss is forbidden in our country, as it is a protected species, there is still a widespread tendency to use natural moss to decorate the Nativity scene. This is made possible by authorized dealers, who specially collect and grow moss for this purpose, in strict compliance with the relevant regulations. Simply go to an authorized nursery and you will be able to purchase a sheet of Nativity moss in the size you need.

You can also find various sizes in our online store. There remains, however, the problem of what to do with the Nativity moss once Christmas is over, when we need to put away the Christmas decorations. Beyond wanting to avoid unnecessary waste, finding ourselves in the position of having to buy it back the following year, it would be a shame to throw it away, considering how crucial it is to the environment and the balance of biodiversity. Perhaps not everyone knows that moss plays a very important role in soil conservation because it prevents erosion of rocks and maintains moisture, which is essential for the growth of countless plants. However, it is also delicate, needing optimal climatic conditions to be born and grow, and taking a very long time to reach full maturity. That is why eradicating it illicitly and with deliberate indifference is a crime not only true to the law that protects it, but also to the environment in which we live and of which we are all a part.

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Orange lichen for Nativity Scene 100g

Orange lichen for Nativity Scene 100g.

But how can moss be preserved for Nativity and recovered the following year?

How to store it

When you decide to use moss for the Nativity scene, you can choose to use fresh moss or dry moss. Fresh moss is brighter and lusher, but it needs a lot of moisture, so you will have to take care to keep it wet every day, using a mist sprayer, because direct water would make it mold and rot.

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Nativity accessory, natural moss, 500gr

It can cover up to 1 square meter of surface.

More easily managed is dry moss, cleared of soil and impurities and used to cover the rocks and roofs of the little houses in your Nativity scene. The only flaw, if we want to find one, is that it is even more delicate and fragile than fresh moss, so it must be handled with care.

The moment we decide to store moss for the coming year, there is only one choice: we must dry it. Putting away fresh moss would be completely useless because the moisture would make it mold in the container. Drying moss is very simple: just lay it on sheets of newsprint and leave it in an aerated area. In a few days the moss will be dry enough to be placed in a box and put away with the other Christmas decorations.

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Christmas tree decorations

Christmas decorations in wood, resin, glass, silver, clay, plexiglass, and even Christmas tree ornaments in blown glass.

However, there is an alternative for storing moss for nativity scenes year after year.

Although you cannot plant moss like a common plant, it can be grown at home or in a nursery as long as you provide it with the moist environment and wet soil it needs to live. In particular, you will have to be careful to avoid water stagnation in the pots: the soil should always be moist, but not muddy. Fundamental then will be to reproduce natural light: moss should never be exposed to full light, but needs indirect, soft light, just like it might have in a lush forest.

Another important thing to make your moss last and thrive is pruning. That’s right, even though they are so small and leafy, moss stems also need trimming when they get too long or dry out. In this case you will need to remove the dry parts, to restore the others.

However you decide to proceed, never forget that moss is a valuable resource for everyone and should be respected as such. After all, that should be the case for the whole environment in which we live, and perhaps Christmas is the best time to start paying a little more attention to that as well.

A new year has begun. May it also be an occasion for spiritual renewal? In this article, we see how to rediscover faith with prayer, meditation and the constant improvement of oneself

The end of the old year and the beginning of the new year is always an opportunity for assessments and reflections on what has been and what can be. Although all too often good intentions end up fading, as we move away from the Celebrations and back to the daily routine, these kinds of considerations can be the starting point for a path of personal growth and improvement.  This can also include the desire to discover how to rediscover the lost faith, or simply faded.

Periods of uncertainty and disquiet are common to every man and woman. The very life we lead seems to be made to question what seemed to us as children simply true, absolute, indubitable. As children it is easy to find God in everything, to feel close to him, protected by his embrace, to recognize him and to meet him not only in the Sacraments and in the Gospel, but also in our loved ones, in the love of parents, in the small and great things of every day. It would be so beautiful to be able to keep that same security, that pure and absolute faith!

When you grow up you lose that freshness, that immediacy. The vicissitudes of life put us to the test, and it is not always easy to keep intact trust in God, the sense of belonging to him, who made us feel safe, protected. On the contrary, sometimes it is precisely events that turn us away from God, to make our faith waver, to the point of making it lukewarm and inconsistent.

It is normal. Faith by its very nature is not something immutable but is constantly evolving. He grows and matures with us, following our inner development, adapts to our changes, reacts to what troubles us, or that exalts us, suffers from our mistakes and our vices. As a plant it must be cultivated, strengthened with the right nourishment, straightened, if necessary, making use of the experience and knowledge of great men and women who have investigated the spirit drawing from it the best possible.

In this article, we set out to see together how to find faith in this year just begun, what strategies and tools to adopt to cultivate our interiority every day, in search of greater closeness to God.

How to find the faith

So what are the tools to rediscover faith? There is no universal recipe, everyone must look inside himself, find his own way, his own timing.

What we suggest are possible approaches, effective for everyone.

The recitation of the Holy Rosary

Or, more generally, prayer. Praying is our way of talking to God, of connecting with Him. The recitation of the Holy Rosary in particular, with the reiteration of prayers and formulas, allows the faithful to immerse themselves in a kind of meditation that allows the mind to get away from the real context and concentrate solely on its dialogue with the Highest.

The Holy Rosary also preserves in itself the promises of Mary to those who recite it, and this makes it even more effective and pleasing to God. Devoting even a few minutes a day to prayers or the Holy Rosary is certainly an important starting point for those who want to find or strengthen their faith.

How and why to overcome vices

The search for faith starts from a work of self-knowledge. We return to ourselves, estranged from our daily routine, demanding a moment of solitude and silence. Only then can we find ourselves in a position to reflect deeply and consciously on our lives. And one of the most important of these will certainly be our own vices. Recognizing one’s vices is the fundamental starting point for correcting behaviours and attitudes. Vices are the most common and widespread practice of evil that involves and unites most human beings.  These habits are usually aimed at satisfying a need or a desire, which become so deeply rooted in the human spirit that they become indispensable at some point. Like every form of slavery that distracts the soul from what really matters, our vices displease God immensely. Therefore, working to eradicate them from our being is one of the most important actions that we can take on the journey to rediscovering faith. But how do you fight vices? First of all, you have to recognize them, admit them, just like you do for a morbid addiction. Then we must exercise willpower to escape the opportunities to perpetrate our vices and to turn our minds and hearts elsewhere. Prayer can certainly help us in this, because only with God’s help can we hope to free ourselves from our limits. After all, the whole spiritual path of a good Christian, since he was born at his death, should be to follow the model of Christ and try to adhere as much as possible to Him.

The study and reading of sacred texts can also help us. Saint Teresa of Avila, for example, Doctor of the Church and woman of immense wisdom, has left memorable pages on the need to know oneself, coming into contact with one’s soul through prayer and meditation, to advance on the spiritual path and free oneself from vice and sin that hinder love and do not allow the soul to make room for God.

Saint Paul also left unforgettable writings that condemn vices and exalt virtues, which he defines respectively as the works of the flesh and the fruits of the spirit. For Saint Paul, the only way to rise above the enslaving power of vice and sin is to welcome and follow the way of the spirit by pursuing the virtues, those “fruits of the spirit” that ripen only in men who accept in themselves the divine Grace.

The 15 prayers of Saint Bridget

Returning to the need for daily prayer, an alternative to the recitation of the Holy Rosary can be that of the 15 prayers of Saint Bridget, the Swedish religious and mystic founder of the Order of the Holiest Saviour. Bridget wrote in her works that Jesus Crucified addressed her one day, revealing that during the Passion she had received 5480 blows from her executioners. The Saviour also made her 21 promises, which would be fulfilled on the condition that she recited every day for a year 15 prayers listed by Him. The daily practice of these prayers may seem very demanding, but the spiritual elevation they allow us to attain will be precious on our journey to rediscover faith.

Spiritual books and quotations

Reading sacred books has always been an indispensable complement for anyone who wanted to enrich and strengthen their faith, turning their thoughts to God and increasing their spirit. In addition to reading the Bible, which should never be neglected, it may be useful to dedicate yourself to books that speak of the spiritual journey that a good Christian must make to reach God, such as the works of the aforementioned Saint Teresa of Avila, and in particular, The Inner Castle, but also The Confessions of Saint Augustine, which shows how a skilled orator dedicated to pleasures was able to transform himself into one of the most famous Saints of all time and Father of the Church, or even Filotea, the introduction to the devout life written by Saint Francis de Sales, considered one of the fathers of modern spirituality, who describes in this book how the choice between Heaven and Hell is made by every man every day through his own actions.

Going to Mass

It may seem trivial or obvious, but going to Mass is a choice, not an obligation, that we should consider if we want to regain faith. The Mass in general and the Eucharist in particular represent the highest moment of encounter with God to which a Christian can aspire. It is a moment of spiritual renewal as if at Mass we recharged our batteries! It is also important for the sharing that it allows with the other faithful, and that is lacking in moments of solitary prayer. The important thing is to approach the Mass when you have the desire to do so, not considering it as an obligation or a constraint, but as a moment of celebration and precious and irreplaceable joy.

The time to organise our DIY Christmas Nativity scene is approaching. Here’s a concise guide to better plan your work

The Nativity scene is, along with the Christmas tree, one of the most widespread traditions linked to this unique festival. We at Holyart encourage the creation of DIY Nativity scenes every year, perhaps because we like to believe that they are the very heart of this tradition, in building, perhaps together with the rest of the family, a unique Nativity scene, which speaks of us, of our childhood memories, of our way of living Christmas.

But, in practice, what do you need to do to build a DIY Nativity scene? Let’s see point by point how to organise the work, from the Nativity scene background to the Nativity lights, borrowing some ideas from the artisans and making the most of the recycled materials.

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Sugar-free ginger sweets. 100 gr Camaldoli

Nativity scene accessories and miniatures. Useful accessories to make and personalize your Nativity scene.

Where to start a DIY Nativity scene

The first decision to make is only apparently trivial: where do we want to build our Nativity scene? If we think of the large handcrafted Nativity scenes, those that are built on the occasion of Christmas at places of worship, which can be visited on festive days, we realise that entire rooms are used solely for this purpose. Without claiming to achieve the same result in our home, we must surely consider how much and what space we intend to dedicate to the Nativity scene, because based on this decision the entire project may vary greatly. Many choose to build the Christmas Nativity scene at the foot of the Christmas Tree, to complete the preparation for the Feast in a single corner of the house. The Nativity scene can be built directly on the floor, but this can be a problem, for daily cleaning, or if there are pets or small children in the house attracted by everything unusual and colourful. A stable table can be a suitable base, but some choose to build the Nativity scene inside a piece of furniture, in a fireplace, a trunk, a barrel, a lantern, or even an old TV!

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Liquid glitter snow globe with lever to make the snow fall and “Silent Night” music.

The basic requirements for the choice should be: a central position concerning the house so that everyone can easily see the Nativity scene, but, at the same time, it should not represent an obstacle to daily life and the right natural lighting, or the possibility of creating effective points of light to illuminate it. The base on which we decide to build the Nativity scene will ultimately be fundamental because it will influence the number of statuettes we can have, how many scenes we can represent, and of course, in this choice we will also have to take into account the size of the statuettes in our possession, to create a proportionate scenario.

What materials to use to make a DIY Nativity scene

Once we have established where to place our Nativity scene, we need to think about the materials with which to build it. Usually for the DIY Nativity scene, natural materials are preferred, such as wood, cork, bark, rocks, and pebbles, but for the base, old cardboard boxes covered with parcel paper, or better still with rock paper for Nativity scenes, to imitate the mountains, or sheets of plywood or polystyrene, which can be cut and shaped according to your needs, lend themselves very well. The most skilled can also try their hand at experiments with polyurethane and polystyrene, or foam, which can also be easily shaped.

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Moss, Trees, Palm trees, Floorings

Synthetic or natural moss, real straw, synthetic trees or tree made using natural lichen, cork and stones.

How to make a Nativity scene on multiple levels

Once our base is established we can begin to work out the scenario for our Nativity scene. It can be interesting, and easier to do than to say, to create a perspective game with cardboard boxes, cork cubes, and books, covered with rock paper and moss, to simulate heights and thus create a Nativity scene on various levels. The more complex the structure you have in mind, the more you will need to design it well before doing anything else. It is fundamental in a Nativity scene on several levels that the hut, or the cave of the Nativity always occupies a predominant place, in short, it is in the foreground, and with it all the most important buildings and characters, but also the largest statues, to give a sense of perspective.

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Illuminated grotto in wood and cork, nativity scene 28x25x26cm

Suitable for nativity figurines measuring 12-14-16cm.

Smaller statues and scenes will be placed on the second and third floors until they reach the backdrop, where there will be no characters, but only landscape elements, and a background that can be made more realistic with bright games of light. As for the background, you can use the classic sky, made with blue paper decorated or not with stars, or a painted landscape, always on paper, or mounted on cork or cardboard panels. If you want to better wrap your Nativity scene on several sides there are also panels mounted as a triptych.

How to build homes

As for the Nativity houses and buildings, we can also choose between different materials, depending on our manual skills. The polystyrene blocks can be easily shaped with a cutter, to obtain the various parts of our houses, which we can then assemble with hot glue or vinyl glue, after painting them with acrylic colours. Cardboard also lends itself well to the construction of houses, although it is light and therefore more difficult to use, while plywood is certainly a more stable solution, but also more expensive and difficult to process. If you are more experienced, you can try using polyester, which can be shaped with special tools, and putty, which lends itself to very realistic creations. In addition to the location and size of the various buildings, to respect the perspective focus, pay close attention to details, roof tiles, and small decorations, because they will make a difference when the work is finished.

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Resin bricks terracotta colour 12 pieces set

Resin bricks terracotta colour 12 pieces set.

How to colour the Nativity scene

The choice of colours to use for the Nativity scene depends first and foremost on the materials we have chosen to use. The colours for cardboard and paper will not be the same for polystyrene or wood, in short. Plaster elements must be passed with a solution of water and vinyl glue before proceeding with the colour, while polystyrene and polyester must be treated with a layer of vinavyl and then coloured with acrylic-based spray. On the Internet, you can find many useful tutorials to colour the different materials in the right way, and also to reproduce suggestive effects on your supports, such as the rock of the mountains, the roughness of a wall, a brick wall and so on.

How to put rock paper in the Nativity scene

Nativity scene rock paper is a very versatile and useful element, which cannot be missed in our DIY Nativity scene. Used to cover boxes and blocks of cork and polystyrene it will be an excellent base on which to place our figurines. Traditional rock paper is on the market, very simple to use, appearing as lightweight sheets of paper with prints that take on the colours of natural elements, or mouldable rock paper, made with an aluminium layer that makes it mouldable, resistant and waterproof.

How to build a Nativity scene river

Enriching our DIY Nativity scene with a stream or a waterfall, better if powered by a special scooter and a water pump, will be a challenge that will lead to surprising results. Of course, if you do not want to try your hand at a realistic river, you can opt for the classic foil that, carefully shaped, can give the illusion of a waterway, or use other scenic systems.

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Water nativity backdrop paper 30×30 cm

The nativity scene background has a water design. Moldable paper allows you to create beautiful opaque reliefs.

If we use water, it will be necessary to isolate the course of the river using plastic or resin trays and accessories, to avoid damage to the rest of the structure. And on our river, you cannot miss a wooden, terracotta or cork bridge, a pretty element, but also of great symbolic value, like most of the elements of the Nativity scene. In particular, the bridge indicates the passage through the beyond and the unknown, while the river represents time and the flow of life.

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Half-circle low wall for 16 cm characters, 5×10 cm

Resin low wall in the shape of an half circle of 1 cm depth, suitable to create a small garden setting.

What to use as an alternative to moss in a DIY Nativity scene

Vegetation is also a valuable element to decorate and embellish our DIY Nativity scene. If we do not want to gather moss, which is easily found in nature, we can buy it. In our online shop, you can find it both real, but coming from plantations and areas used for its cultivation, and synthetic, along with palm trees, trees, lichens, bushes and decorative straw. Alternatively, you can use green fleece, plush fabric, painted sawdust, or dried and glued herbs, according to your imagination.

How to make the Nativity scene background

We have already mentioned the importance of the background for the Nativity scene. In our shop, in addition to starry skies in paper, cork panels, painted landscapes, and complete sets to build mountains, you can find many useful materials and accessories to build your Nativity scene step by step.

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Nativity scene background

Nativity scene background, landscapes and panels. Rolls of paper for backdrops.

How to put lights on the Nativity scene

Lighting is a fundamental element of the Nativity scene, but you have to pay attention to some simple but fundamental rules to avoid unpleasant accidents. First of all, pay attention to the choice of lights, which are of quality and comply with safety standards, to avoid overloads and short circuits. Sockets and any extensions must also be safe and compliant. It is better to always use linear, not circular lights, fixing them with adhesive tape and taking care to cover all the wires well with elements of the scenery, such as moss, straw, and sand. There are special control units on the market, which allow you to create very suggestive lighting effects, with fades and intermittencies, such as the day and night cycle, sunrise and sunset, or reproduce the effect of fire or lightning. The most modern ones can be programmed with a special computerised system for truly amazing results!

Since the Middle Ages, the Basilica of the Holy House has been the heart of devotion to Our Lady of Loreto, mother of Jesus, the Virgin of Laurel. We get to know this sanctuary better, its miracles and the mystery of the “flying” translation.

The Basilica of the Holy House in Loreto, in the province of Ancona, has existed since the fourth century and has always been one of the main places of Marian pilgrimage in our country. It is no coincidence that the Italian “Lourdes” is defined.

But what makes this small basilica dedicated to the cult of Our Lady of Loreto so special?
It is soon said: inside are the remains of the Holy House, or the house where the Virgin Mary was born, grew up, and received the visit of the Archangel Gabriel, the same house where Jesus took his first steps.

But how did the Holy House get to Loreto? This is a really interesting story!

History of Our Lady of Loreto

On 10 December, the liturgical feast of Our Lady of Loreto is celebrated. The festival is also called the Feast of the Coming and has very ancient origins.

In fact, it has been celebrated for over four hundred years on the night between 9 and 10 December. A characteristic of this festival is the lighting of fires that light up the night, in the cities and the countryside, and that recall those that on that same night in 1296 would have been lit to accompany a very particular procession. This is the procession of angels that brought the Holy House to Loreto.

Legend has it that the Holy House of Mary was taken away from Nazareth by the angels when Palestine fell to the infidel Turks in 1291.

We will see in a later paragraph how this translation would have taken place. What is certain is that the city of Loreto was founded precisely in the place chosen by the heavenly messengers as the new seat of the Holy House, on the top of Monte Prodo, along the Via Lauretana that already in the thirteenth century connected Rome to the port of Ancona.

Thus was born the veneration of Our Lady of Loreto, a symbol of the human and family dimension of Jesus and of the entire Holy Family, a warning and memory for all the pilgrims who since the Middle Ages went to these places, of the mystery of the Incarnation of Jesus, on the one hand, and of the call of the Virgin, on the other.

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Lady of Loreto statue, 30 cm hand painted plaster Barsanti

This Catholic statue depicts Our Lady of Loreto…

Our Lady of Loreto thus embodies the Virgin, humble servant of the Almighty, who by accepting Her commission has made itself the “home” of God and of the whole Church. Our Lady of Loreto and the Holy House, the centre of her worship, thus recall the time when God became flesh and descended into the world to save humanity. The evangelical virtues of the Holy Family revive in Mary’s choice to serve the divine Will.

This particular dimension of the Madonna of Loreto has made the Basilica dedicated to her the heart of a cult that truly echoes that addressed to the Holy Family in Nazareth. In this place, faithful and pilgrims have gone over the centuries to find comfort, the sick and infirm have come in search of healing and consolation in suffering.

There the Litany of Laurel were also born, the supplications that are recited or sung at the end of the Rosary, which in the Holy House of Loreto were already intoned before spreading throughout Christendom becoming the most popular prayers dedicated to the Mother of Jesus

On 24 March 1920, on the eve of the Annunciation of the Lord Pope Benedict XV issued the Decree declaring Our Lady of Loreto the patron saint of air travellers and aeronautics.

On 7 October 2019, Pope Francis, through the Congregation for Divine Worship and the Discipline of the Sacraments, included in the Roman Calendar the optional memory of the Blessed Virgin Mary of Loreto.

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Pope Benedict XVI statue in natural Val Gardena wood

Hand made and hand painted figurine by the Val Gardena…

Miracles of Our Lady of Loreto

In addition to the mysterious Translation of the Holy House, over time Loreto has been the scene of many miracles and healings.

For this reason, every year thousands of faithful go to the Shrine in the hope of the intercession of the Virgin Mary.

Most of the miracles attributed to Our Lady of Loreto concern miraculous healings, which have involved men, women and children over the years.

Just to mention a few examples, little Lorenzo Rossi, was saved from bronchopneumonia and bronchiolitis that in 1959 had brought him to the end of his life.

His desperate mother poured a small bottle of blessed oil from the Shrine of the Holy House of Loreto on his forehead and began massaging his chest. The child, already cyanotic, began to breathe again and then regained his health.

Gerry De Angelis was also already in a coma, when his father, who was going to the hospital at his bedside, felt the need to go to Loreto.
When after the detour, he reached his son, he had come out of a coma.

Giacomina Cassani, a sixteen-year-old from Bardi, had been diagnosed with a soft-elastic tumour in her left thigh in 1930.

Now reduced to a wheelchair and imprisoned in a bust, the young woman was taken on a pilgrimage to Loreto and here at the passage of SS. Sacramento she felt at first a strong pain, then an unexpected relief. From that moment on, she began to feel better, until she was completely healed.

Bruno Baldini, a boy from Florence, on 23 October 1934 was involved in a terrible motorcycle accident that caused a serious brain injury that made him mute and with serious motor difficulties. One day he heard a clear voice telling him to undertake a pilgrimage to a Sanctuary.

He chose Loreto, and on the day of his arrival, while he was in the hotel, he heard that voice again, which ordered him to get up and speak.  And so he did, to everyone’s amazement.

Why is Our Lady of Loreto black?

Before the beautiful wooden statue depicting the Madonna of Loreto, those who went to the sanctuary turned their veneration to an ancient icon, which depicted the face of Mary. Like many ancient icons, it was quite dark, probably also due to the smoke of candles and oil lamps.

When at the beginning of the 16th century it was decided to replace the icon with a wooden statue carved in spruce and then painted, it suffered the same fate, as a result of smoke. The statue was then destroyed in a fire in 1921, and replaced with another, this time made of Lebanese cedar wood and painted in an even darker shade.

Sanctuary of Loreto: the miraculous “flying” translation

We have already mentioned the miracle of the Flying Translation of the Holy House from Nazareth to Loreto.

The ancient tradition dates back to 1296, when the hermit Fra’ Paolo della Selva told the Authorities a fascinating story, later reported in various documents, over time, enriching it with more and more picturesque details.

According to this story, the angels would have taken the Holy House from Palestine, which fell to the Turks in 1294.

The journey of the Holy House would have touched first Tersatto, Trsat, now a district of the city of Rijeka, in Croatia, but the angels decided to cross the sea and bring their precious cargo to the territory of Recanati, where they placed the Holy House first in a forest that belonged to a gentlewoman named Loreta, then on the field of two brothers, and finally, on the night between 9 and 10 December 1296, on the top of Monte Prodo.

Subsequently, to protect the Holy House, a wall was erected around it, then a sanctuary, which immediately became a destination for pilgrimages of faith.

It is difficult to understand what is real in the history of the Translation, and what is the result of folklore. One version of the story is that it was a wealthy family of princes related to the imperial family of Constantinople who brought the remains of the Holy House to Loreto. What is certain is that even today the story of the mysterious ‘journey’ of the Holy House, with all that it represents, fascinates pilgrims who visit the Shrine.

The base cover for the Christmas Tree is an extra stylish detail to make your holiday home even more beautiful and original

Base covers for Christmas trees Well, yes, this is also part of the endless solutions to decorate our Tree on the occasion of the most beautiful party ever. We have published many articles in the past advising on how to decorate the Christmas Tree, which colours to choose for the decorations (or for the Tree itself), and which style. Today we are talking about the underneath Christmas tree, or basic bodies, or even skirts for the Christmas tree, a seemingly obvious accessory, but which can make the difference between a successful set-up and a sloppy and clumsy one.

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Christmas Tree Toppers

Decorations for the tip of Christmas trees in different styles and shapes

The Christmas tree cover is nothing more than the covering that hides the base of the tree, whether it is a vase, in the case of real Christmas trees, or a support of some kind, in the case of artificial Christmas trees. Especially in the case of the latter, the support is usually made up of rather ugly metal elements, which make adequate coverage even more necessary. Here, then, is the ‘skirt’ for the Christmas tree, which with a little imagination and taste can become an integral part of the Christmas decorations. Not only that but since gifts are also arranged under the Tree, the presence of a colourful base cover, which harmonises with the furniture and other homely decorations, will make the moment of the exchange of gifts even more pleasant.

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Red Christmas tree skirt with fireworks

Christmas tree base cover of 130 cm. 60% polyester and 40% rayon

Usually, the base covers for the Christmas Tree are made of fabric mats, because they must wrap the vase or the base of the Christmas Tree softly. There are also more rigid models, which create a kind of cone around the structure. They are equipped with a hole in the middle, from which the trunk of the Tree comes out, and usually also have a side opening, which allows them to be inserted and removed easily even once the Christmas Tree is already set up. In this way, when the work is finished, we can hide metal supports, lighting wires and everything that could ruin the final effect of our Christmas set-up.

You can also choose other solutions to cover the base of the Christmas Tree, such as the timeless crepe paper, which is ‘shaped’ around any type of support, or a wicker basket, a wooden box, or wanting to remain on the idea of the fabric an old scarf, a coloured carpet, a wool shawl. Some use a lot of jute, a material used for many skirts for the Christmas tree, parcel paper and, why not, coloured boxes that simulate fake Christmas gifts… but the latter solution seems really sad!!

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Christmas tree base cover 17×17 in

Christmas tree base cover by Moranduzzo made of natural wood. “Buon Natale” (Merry Christmas) on the front.

Christmas Tree Base Cover on Holyart

In our online store, you will find several proposals for Christmas tree covers. You can choose the one that best suits your taste and the style you have chosen to decorate the house for Christmas.
For a rustic style, reminiscent of the mountain, take a look at the beautiful machine-embroidered and hand-finished Christmas Tree base cover, decorated with images of deer and snowflakes. It has a diameter of 120 cm and is fixed with practical laces around the base of the Christmas Tree. It is made of lurex and polyester, with 100% cotton padding. Suitable for a romantic Christmas in the countryside, but also any context and furniture, for the finesse of the materials and the elegance of the design

Simpler and cheaper, in light jute and without laces, only with the hole for the trunk of the Christmas Tree, the base cover with the smiling and ruby face of Santa Claus will bring joy to all homes. It is decorated with images of holly and berries and has red borders that circle all around, for an extra Christmas note.

In white cloth with red edges, the Christmas Tree base cover with a cute Santa surrounded by stars will please the little ones, with its naive and cheerful style. The softness of the cloth will allow you to completely wrap the base of the Christmas Tree and hide any threads, but it will also give a touch of warmth to our Christmas set-up.

Christmas tree skirt with snoflakes and reindeers d. 47 in
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Christmas Tree base cover, Santa Claus and tree 100 cm
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Red Christmas tree skirt with Santa and "Merry Christmas" inscription 125 cm
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Christmas Tree base cover, white with red edge 105 cm
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Christmas tree collar reindeer and sleigh 45x45 cm Moranduzzo natural wood
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