Heavenly flower: colossal sculpture in the name of the Rose
Heavenly flower: colossal sculpture in the name of the Rose

Video: Heavenly flower: colossal sculpture in the name of the Rose

Video: Heavenly flower: colossal sculpture in the name of the Rose
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Heavenly flower: column in honor of the Holy Rose
Heavenly flower: column in honor of the Holy Rose

Santa rose, Holy Rose - this name itself contains the earthly beauty of a flower and something higher, heavenly. Patron saint of the Italian city Viterbo died in 1251, before she was 18 years old - but remained in the centuries, and the townspeople decided to immortalize it not only with a historical procession in honor of the virgin, but also with an incredible 30-meter statue, whose name is Fiore del Cielo, " Sky flower".

Heavenly flower in honor of the Holy Rose of Viterbs
Heavenly flower in honor of the Holy Rose of Viterbs

In the middle of the 13th century, a girl named Rosa lived in the city of Viterbo, poor and sickly, but kind to God for her piety. She preached mercy, helped the poor and cured diseases - but the emperor, fearing that she would revolt the people, ordered the girl to leave the city. In 1250, when the emperor ordered to live long, she returned and soon died too - but even after her death, Rose's relics continued to work miracles. So the legend says. And after a year and a half, she was canonized by the Pope at the insistence of the people - and this is already the pure truth.

Heavenly flower: colossal sculpture in the name of the Rose
Heavenly flower: colossal sculpture in the name of the Rose

Rose became the heavenly patron of the city - and in 1664, after another plague epidemic, the Witerbians decided to commemorate her every year, on September 3, with a grandiose procession. And the center of this procession was a 30-meter column called the "Machine of the Holy Rose" and carried on the shoulders of hundreds of strong citizens. And that's a little more: the structure weighs about five tons! The tradition is strong even now. Every five years, the Witerbians come up with a new look for the column. Current design " Heavenly flower"belongs to architects Arturo Vittori from Italy and Andreas Vogler from Switzerland.

Heavenly flower: colossal sculpture in the name of the Rose
Heavenly flower: colossal sculpture in the name of the Rose
Viterb residents commemorate the Holy Rose
Viterb residents commemorate the Holy Rose

The historical procession is attended by 300 people in costumes, walking in ranks along the narrow streets of the ancient city. Experts say that in Viterbo more than anywhere else in Italy the appearance and atmosphere of the XII-XIII centuries have been preserved. The Papal Palace, the Pilgrims' Quarter of San Pellegrino, the Cathedral of San Lorenzo - above all this, the statue of the Holy Rose floats majestically, mounted on the top of a giant Heavenly Flower and illuminated, like an amazing lighthouse, with 1,200 lamps.

Heavenly flower: colossal sculpture in the name of the Holy Rose from Viterbo
Heavenly flower: colossal sculpture in the name of the Holy Rose from Viterbo

The fakchini, the porters of the huge column, stop at five places, and each stage of the journey is more and more difficult: the column hardly squeezes into the alleys. And now a hundred meters remain - the eldest of the fakchini shouts "Forward, for the Holy Rose!" Sky flower"took his place in front of the Church of San Sisto in the name of the Rose.

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