Madonna and Child (Madonna dell’Avvocata)

Abstract

According to a legend, the Virgin Mary appeared to a shepherd named Gabriele Cinnamo at the top of Mount Falerzio, a mountain above the city of Maiori, and asked that he pray to her. If he did, she would become his advocate. After this miraculous event, Cinnamo stayed on the mountain and erected a small hermitage and a church. The church and hermitage were approved in a decree issued by Pope Leo X in 1503. Years later, the church and hermitage were given to the Camaldolese monks and remained there until 1807. The suppression laws issued by King Joseph Bonaparte drove the monks out, and the convent was abandoned. Luigi Mansi explains that a statue of the Virgin Mary was found in an underground grotto, likely near the abandoned convent, and prompted the faithful to visit the site. As a result, the faithful constructed a new church to honour the Virgin Mary. It is uncertain whether this statue of the Madonna and Child was the one discovered in the grotto. Made of wood, Mary stands with her left foot resting on a rock. She supports the seated infant with her left hand while looking out at the viewer. The Ministry of Culture claims that the sculpture was created by a German workshop. The sculpture is now located in the Museo d’Arte Sacra Don Clemente Confalone, Maiori, situated within the 18th century crypt of a church. This ecclesiastical setting preserves a sense of sacredness, enabling visitors to engage with the work in a way that still evokes its devotional origins. For instance, the Madonna and Child are also seen holding rosaries, likely given by the faithful. In Christian belief, giving jewels to images of the divine is a devotional act that heightens the status of the image, rendering it powerful. It also activates the image, making it sentient to the needs of the faithful. Photograph(s) licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.