Pontiff recalls 700th anniversary of origin of Marian shrine in Calabria

August 10, 2026

Pope Leo XIV named Cardinal Francesco Montenegro, the archbishop emeritus of Agrigento, Italy, as his special envoy to the upcoming celebration of the 700th anniversary of the arrival of a Marian image on the shore near Praia a Mare, a small town in Calabria. The image, which arrived on August 14, 1326, is venerated in the Shrine of Our Lady of the Grotto.

In a Latin-language letter dated July 13 and released August 8, Pope Leo paid tribute to the Blessed Virgin Mary as “the new woman who, in view of Christ’s death, was redeemed in a more sublime way in her very conception; the mother who, by the power of the Holy Spirit, gave birth to the Son virginally; the disciple who diligently preserved the Master’s words in her heart; and the associate of the Redeemer, by the divine plan devoted wholly and generously to the work of the Son.”

The celebrations in Praia a Mare will take place on August 14 and 15.

 

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Further information:

• Letter of the Holy Father to the Special Envoy to the seventh centenary of the arrival in Praia a Mare of the image of the “All Holy Mother of God” (Holy See Press Office, 8/8/26)