recenset mvsteria,
ubi salutis aeternae
dantur privilegia:
dum Franciscus dat lucernae
crucis sua studia.
- Processional hymn at the Sanctuary of La Verna
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On May 8, 1213, Count Orlando of Chiusi made a gift of Mount Penna, on the southern slope of which the Sanctuary of La Verna is located, to Saint Francis, as he wrote, "for the health of my soul". It is here that the saint received the stigmata in 1224, and it is considered one of the holiest sites in Italy. The sanctuary is less than ten kilometres from Casa Santicchio, so we decided to take a detour from the Via Romea Germanica - or rather, to walk a variant of it - up to La Verna.
Only 9 kilometres, but 700 metres higher up. We walked the shortest and steepest route, as recommended by our hostess: down to the village of Rimbocchi, and then up path number 53, following the Tau symbol of the Way of Saint Francis, which the pilgrims we met at Casa Santicchio were also following.
Up, and up, and up... until I recognised the unique landscape of the Sacred Wood of Saint Francis, with its moss-covered masses of stone. We walked in silence through this enchanted place.
Suddenly there it was: the monastery of La Verna, perched atop the rocky cliff towering above us.
We had heard from the other pilgrims that there were no more beds available at the monastery guesthouse, understandably, seeing as it was not only a weekend but the feast day of Saint Francis. We went to the reception desk and asked, just in case - and we were lucky! Two people had cancelled their reservations in the pilgrim dormitory. We moved in right away, and being the first ones there, we could take our pick of the bunk beds. We then spent the rest of the afternoon visiting the various spots sacred to Saint Francis - the cave where he went to pray, the cell where he slept, the spot where he received the Stigmata on September 17th, 1224.
At three in the afternoon we joined the congregation in the church to participate in the procession of the friars from the Basilica to the chapel of the Stigmata. The procession takes place every day, but today's procession was a very special one because it's the day of Saint Francis - the 799th anniversary of the saint's death. The Bishop walked with the friars, and hundreds of people walked behind them along the corridor frescoed with scenes illustrating the life of the saint.
To preserve the atmosphere of meditation and prayer, no photographs were allowed during the ceremony, but here is one of the corridor.
Casa Santicchio - La Verna 9 km
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