Every September 8, Corsica celebrates the Nativity of the Virgin Mary. Several processions and masses take place on the island, with the traditional kickoff of the celebrations this Thursday evening.
Patron saint of the island of which she was proclaimed queen in 1735, the Virgin Mary is celebrated every September 8, the day of her birth, by island Catholics. A day marked by numerous processions.
The first ones even begin the day before, namely this Thursday, September 7, at 9 p.m.: one in Lavasina, with a torchlight procession to the Notre Dame des Graces sanctuary, in the presence of the Bishop of Ajaccio for Corsica, Monsignor François Bustillo. Another in Casamaccioli, for the opening of the 193rd edition of the Santa di u Niolu. Finally, a third in Pancheraccia, starting from the parish church to the sanctuary.
The Lavasina pilgrimage, September 7, 2022. • © FTV/P. Salort
In Lavasina, the Nativity tradition dates back to the 17th century.
In 1675, a miracle happened. During a trip to Genoa, a nun from Bonifacio took refuge in the small cove of Cap Corse to escape the storm. Suffering from paralysis of her legs, Sister Marie-Agnès took shelter in the chapel of the Danese family and rubbed herself with the oil from the lamp which illuminated the painting of the Virgin. His pain disappears immediately.
Previously, the work had been given to the Danese, wine merchants, by an insolvent client. In the packaging, they had miraculously found a sum of money which corresponded exactly to that owed by their debtor. The Danese then placed the famous painting in their chapel at Lavasina.
Under the rule of the Bishop of Mariana, Fabrizio Giustiniani, it will become a sanctuary. The first mass was celebrated there on September 8, 1677, the day of the Nativity of the Virgin.
This September 8, several masses will follow one another, at 8 a.m., 9 a.m., 10:30 a.m. and 6:30 p.m.
Beyond Lavasina, every year, the Nativity of the Virgin is celebrated with fervor and devotion throughout Corsica. Like in Alesani where every September 8 the original painting of the “Virgin with the Cherry” finds its place in the convent church. Usually the work is kept in the Aleria Museum and a copy is left in Alesani.
Preserved at the Aleria Museum, the original painting of the “Madonna with the Cherry” finds its place every September 8 in the church of the Alesani convent. • © FTV/S. Polite
In Pancheraccia, where the Virgin is said to have appeared in the 18th century to a little girl lost in the mountain, the statue of the Madonna is only carried by women. A mass is planned there at 10:30 a.m. this September 8, then at 4:30 p.m.
In Casamaccioli, the 193rd edition of the Santa di u Niolu, Corsica’s oldest fair, takes place from September 7 to 10. The Bishop of Ajaccio will preside over mass there on September 8 at 10:30 a.m., before giving way to the Granitula, the famous snail-shaped procession, announced at 12:00 p.m.
Many other celebrations and processions are also expected elsewhere on the island.
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