The Pilgrimage

Basilica of Monte Berico: liturgical notes

The pilgrimage is a universal religious phenomenon. Going on a pilgrimage belongs to the most profound part of man, his nature of being on the move, his continual quest for his real home. This corresponds to the two classic dimensions of religious thought: the experience of "homo viator", who studies other "peoples", in order to reach a more profound knowledge of himself, and that of the "peregrinans", who takes the path towards a symbolically important goal in order to fulfil an experience of spiritual renewal. The believer harks to the call for salvation and, in the wake of Abraham, "stranger and pilgrim", departs in search of the profound truth of his heart: the Promised land. The pilgrimage thus has a goal and a sacramental value: conversion and the meeting with God in the celebration of "saving grace". This, while not being a ritual form in the strict sense, is for the believer a moment of penance and conversion, a stage in his path, in his "historia salutis".
The figure of Mary, Virgin and Mother of God, so intimately connected to the mystery of the Incarnation of the Son, becomes the main means to arrive at Christ, and through him, the Father. This is why the pilgrimages to worship Mary have their own special character: you go to Mary in order to be nearer to God through her.
Every year millions of pilgrims arrive at the Basilica of Monte Berico, this church standing on the hill and dominating and protecting the city of Vicenza, which has become such an important destination for those who wish to retrace the steps of Holy Mary, in her unique position between Christ and the Church.
To reach it you have to "ascend", because the spiritual path is an ascent towards God, with physical effort corresponding to the interior struggle towards conversion. There are two paths leading up to Monte Berico: the ancient "Scalette", a medieval work, restored various times, start from the Arco di Pietra of 1595 and arrive half-way up the hill; and the road of 18th century porticoes, with 150 arches, interrupted every ten by a flat terrace. The two paths can be seen in terms of two symbols: the ascent by steps of the first ends at an inscription which invites the pilgrim to rest and give thanksgiving to the Virgin for having given him the chance after all his efforts to continue along a more paved way; the second with its 15 sequences of ten arches, sends the faithful pilgrim to the Rosary, which he must recite during the ascent. At the top, the Sanctuary appears majestic and solemn, where the Virgin, in the typical iconography of the Mother of Mercy, welcomes the faithful under the protection of her cloak. Here, the Servants of Mary have for almost six centuries continued in their vocation of assisting and giving hospitality: they receive the pilgrim, they assist him in his penitence and then celebrate the Eucharist as a collective "consecration" of an experience of profound spirituality.

By dott. Michela Fantin (Arts Office of the Diocese of Vicenza)