In
the XV century the Minor Friars owned four monasteries:
the Monastery of Silvestrini in Santa Maria di Uliano, a
second monastery in Porta Sabina, a third one beyond
Porta Leone, and finally the Monastery of Madonna del
Giglio.
Unfortunately
the first three monasteries were destroyed, and today
their existence has become only a memory. But the
Monastery of Madonna del Giglio have had a better fate,
and today it rises with its stateliness on the peaceful
hill of the homonymous village Il Giglio.
According
to the scholars of the Order of the Grey Friars, the
Monastery of Il Giglio was founded by Amedeo di
Portogallo. It has never been as important as the other
monasteries of the Grey Friars, and it has never
accommodated more than 12 Friars. December 5th to
December 8th 1748 the Monastery of Il Giglio had even
accommodated San Leonardo di Porto Maurizio, an important
Italian missionary.
The
Minor Friars had been staying in this monastery till the
beginning of the XIX century, when the French
troops invaded the Pontifical States. After this invasion
the monastery of Madonna del Giglio was unfortunately
abandoned.
The
diocesan authority tried to make up for this new and
unexpected situation, and in 1837 the monastery and the
church were than entrusted to the Passionists. They
restored the church and decided to build two new
side-chapels. On October 24th 1858 the church and the
high altar were consecrated during a ritual, presided by
the Cardinal Ferretti.
At
the beginning of 1865, after the administrative problems
that the new government of Piemonte in Perugia was
intensifying, the Passionists were definitively turned
out the monastery of Il Giglio, and the church, together
with the monastery, were completely overwhelmed by a deep
state of abandonment, desolation, and waste.
In
1900, then, the French Congregation of “I Religiosi di
San Vincenzo de’ Paoli” took possession of the
monastery and the church, and let the devoted people go
on prayer to the monastery of Madonna del Giglio.
Beyond
the monastery, the French Friars built a grotto in honour
of the holy Virgin, so that those who wanted to prayer
the Virgin could go there. During festivities, the
pilgrims paid a visit to the grotto of the Holy Virgin,
and paid homage to Her.
Even
today, at least once a year - usually on September 8th -
the people, living at the village of Il Giglio and its
neighborhood, pay homage to the Holy Virgin of Il Giglio,
and pray to Her.
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