Our Lady of the Flowers

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This ‘Miracle of the Flowers’ Has Happened Repeatedly Near Turin for 600 Years

Christmastime wonder in one Italian town has happened annually since the 14th century.

Christmas miracles do happen. One took place during the 12 days of Christmas 682 years ago — a miracle that has repeated every year since then except for the merest fraction of times. With the event came another title for our Blessed Mother — Our Lady of the Flowers.

To be exact, the miracle took place on the evening of Dec. 29, 1336. The place: on the outskirts of Bra, Italy, which is on the road to Turin, where the Shroud of Turin is housed, 27 miles to the north.

A young wife named Egidia Mathis, who was expecting the couple’s first child, was walking home that winter evening. As she approached one of the pillars on the road on which was frescoed a picture of the Blessed

Virgin Mary with the Christ Child, she spotted two mercenaries nearby. Egidia was frightened by their threatening glares and instinctively sensed the intent of these hired soldiers was to harm her. She ran to Our Lady pictured on the pillar — a Mother who gave birth to the Christ Child at this time of year — and pleaded for help.

A light shone from the pillar, as Our Lady appeared. As Mary looked at the foreign mercenaries and waved them off, they quickly ran away, frightened. Our Lady then smiled at Egidia and comforted her, one Mother to her child who was soon to be a mother herself — sooner than expected, in fact. The stress and emotional intensity of the scary situation caused the young woman to give birth to her baby immediately.