Though mostly Roman Catholic today, Calabria was historically Byzantine/Eastern Roman until the mid-11th century, when the Normans crushed the Saracens in southern Italy and the Papacy began to claim the territory and wiped out Eastern Roman culture and religious practice.
In the Norman cathedral of Tropea there is an icon of Virgin Mary of Romania, of Eastern Roman origin, dating from around 1330. The legend says that a boat coming from the Eastern Roman Empire (hence the name Virgin Mary of Romania, being the real name of the so-called Byzantine territories) was driven into the port of Tropea by a storm. After repairing the damage, the captain tried to leave, but the ship still stayed in the harbor. That same night, the Bishop of the city, Ambrogio Cordova, dreamed of the Virgin Mary asking him to stay in Tropea and becoming its Protectress. The dream repeated itself for several nights. Eventually the bishop summoned the senior officials and the citizens, and together they went to the port to take the icon of the Virgin Mary. As soon as the icon was brought to shore the ship departed. The Virgin Mary promised to defend the city from pestilence, earthquakes, and war, and many events that took place since then seem to attest to this.
According to tradition, the Virgin Mary appeared several times in dreams to the Bishop, warning him of an earthquake that would devastate Calabria. On the March 27, 1638, the Bishop established a penitential procession, involving all the people from Tropea. Thanks to the procession, the earthquake which struck that very day caused no harm. The citizens of Tropea were also saved from the 1783 Calabrian earthquakes, much stronger and more tragic than the previous one, that affected the whole of Calabria. This event strengthened the devotion to the Virgin Mary of Romania, and the citizens of Tropea proclaimed her the patron of Tropea. During World War II Tropea suffered a bombing, but the six bombs which fell on Tropea all fell into a hole and remained unexploded.
In the Norman cathedral of Tropea there is an icon of Virgin Mary of Romania, of Eastern Roman origin, dating from around 1330. The legend says that a boat coming from the Eastern Roman Empire (hence the name Virgin Mary of Romania, being the real name of the so-called Byzantine territories) was driven into the port of Tropea by a storm. After repairing the damage, the captain tried to leave, but the ship still stayed in the harbor. That same night, the Bishop of the city, Ambrogio Cordova, dreamed of the Virgin Mary asking him to stay in Tropea and becoming its Protectress. The dream repeated itself for several nights. Eventually the bishop summoned the senior officials and the citizens, and together they went to the port to take the icon of the Virgin Mary. As soon as the icon was brought to shore the ship departed. The Virgin Mary promised to defend the city from pestilence, earthquakes, and war, and many events that took place since then seem to attest to this.
According to tradition, the Virgin Mary appeared several times in dreams to the Bishop, warning him of an earthquake that would devastate Calabria. On the March 27, 1638, the Bishop established a penitential procession, involving all the people from Tropea. Thanks to the procession, the earthquake which struck that very day caused no harm. The citizens of Tropea were also saved from the 1783 Calabrian earthquakes, much stronger and more tragic than the previous one, that affected the whole of Calabria. This event strengthened the devotion to the Virgin Mary of Romania, and the citizens of Tropea proclaimed her the patron of Tropea. During World War II Tropea suffered a bombing, but the six bombs which fell on Tropea all fell into a hole and remained unexploded.
