L'Italo-Americano

THURSDAY, JUNE 13, 2019 www.italoamericano.org 14 L'Italo-Americano of spirits were performed there in Fredrick's time is hypotheti- cal. Yet, possibly, the construc- tion of the castle endowed it w ith s ome magical pow er because, curiously enough, in 1950 it was discovered that the soil surrounding the castle con- tained a strain of bacterium that led to the develo pment of chemotherapeutic cancer drugs (daunorubicin and doxorubicin) that help patients avoid seeing any "angels" any time soon. Along these lines, Michael Scot was reputed to be a magus, one who could prophesy the future, and w ho engaged in many paranormal experiments. Of note here is that, despite his numerous philosophical-astro- logical treatises, he is primarily remembered today as having foretold the death of Frederick II, Apud portam ferream, ne lo loco che abet lo nome de flore", (i. e., at the iron door of the place that has the name of "flower"). And so, like any superstitious person of his times, F rederick II alw ay s avoided going near Florence since he feared he might meet an untime- ly death there. But uncannily, as foretold to him, when he was about 55 years old, he found himself in Apulia, a province he loved dearly for the many oppor- tunities it offered for hunting, where he fell gravely ill with a severe dysentery. His attendants ferried him off to his closest imperial property, Cas tel Fiorentino, and then placed him there on a bed right in front of an iron door. A nd s o, jus t as Michael Scot had predicted, he w as vis ited by the angel of death, known as Asrael in the Islamic religion, on December 13, 1240. Today, the remains of the citadel comprise an archaeologi- cal s ite that beckons many "angelic" tourists to the town of Torremaggiore. But it can be eas ily view ed on Y ouTube where an eight-sided stone col- umn is inscribed with the bilin- gual notice, In quel tempo morì Federico, il più grande tra i prin- cipi della terra S tupore del Mondo — Et Semper Augustus Rex Ierusalem Et Sicilie Dux Sveviae. (In that time died Fred- erick the greates t of all the princes of the earth, the Stupor Mundi, and the Eternal High King of Jerusalem and Sicily, Duke of Swabia). So now, let's leave aside all these ancient royal legends and continue along the Adriatic coast to visit a sacred site that causes not only noble, but plain ordi- nary people today to wonder about the visits of another angel, this time one of health, protec- tion and goodnes s , the Archangel Michael. After a long ascent up the side of Mount Gargano, also known to the faithful as Monte Sant'Angelo, one safely arrives at the very top to join the myriad numbers of pilgrims who come from all over to make a visit to the grotto of S t. M ichael Archangel. Among the many who have done this, St. Francis of Assisi, Padre Pio and recent popes (Benedict XVI, John Paul II and Francis). The archangel vis ited the locale's cave twice. The first time was in 490 when he saved a bull from a deadly arrow shot by his exasperated owner, who was unable to get it to come out of the place. The arrow flew back- wards and sent Lord Elvio run- ning off to report the strange event to the local bishop. Three days later, the bishop was him- self visited by Saint Michael who instructed him to set up a chapel in the cave. He did so, and when his town of Siponto later came under attack from pagan armies from southern Italy, Michael assured victory to the bishop by hurling bolts of lightning and horrific thunder on the invaders. In thanksgiving, the bishop was joined by seven other bishops who went in procession to the cave where they were astonished to find a complete altar set up that bore the footprint of the Archangel! While the catholic church ascribes him the role of psy- chopomp (the angel who appears at death to take one's soul to heaven), Michael the Archangel is also given the duty of protect- ing humankind from all evil. This is exactly the name of the Archangel's special prayer that invokes his help against evil of every kind. And when, in the 17th century, w hen the Archangel appeared in a magnif- icent array for a third time, he told Archbishop Alfonso Puc- cinelli that people could be healed from the fatal plague sweeping southern Italy if stones from his sacred chapel inscribed w ith the initials M A w ere blessed and distributed to all the poor. Clearly a grotto-chapel favored by the Archangel, his awesome powers do not cast fear into the hearts of his faithful fol- lowers-visitors because, as the inscription over one of the cave's entrances proclaims: Qui dove i sassi si aprono, i peccati degli uomini sono cancellati, questa è la casa speciale dove qualsiasi azione malvagia viene lavata (Here, where the rocks open, men's sins are cancelled; this is the special house where any evil deed is washed." This is an angelic indulgence, given freely unlike some others the Renais- sance popes used to raise capital. Without any doubt this is a place of undeniable religious power that continuously attracts hundreds of visitors who, mind- ful of the declaration over anoth- er entrance, Terribilis est locus iste; hic domus dei est et porta coeli (H ow aw es ome is this place: herein lies the House of God and the Gate to Heaven) have caused it to be ranked as a UNESCO World Heritage and an Apulian Heritage Site. And one of the early devotees of this homage to the Archangel was Frederick II , who modified the castle of the place by building a massive watchtower. Here again, it is of an octagonal des ign which scholars agree is symbol of eternity: the figure eight, so important to him, laid down on its side: Continued from page 12 Torremaggiore, a village known for its connection with Frederick II and "angelic" legends The cave where the Archangel Michael is believed to have appeared LA VITA ITALIANA TRADITIONS HISTORY CULTURE

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