Saint Dymphna, Lily of Fire



Feast Day: May 15

Patron: Against sleepwalking; against epilepsy; against insanity; against mental disorders; against mental illness; epileptics; family happiness; incest victims; loss of parents; martyrs; mental asylums; mental health caregivers; mental health professionals; mental hospitals; mentally ill people; nervous disorders; neurological disorders; possessed people; princesses; psychiatrists; rape victims; runaways; sleepwalkers; therapists

Symbols: Being beheaded by the king; kneeling at Mass while her father murders the priest Gerebernus; lamp; praying in a cloud surrounded by a group of lunatics bound with golden chains; princess holding a lamp and sword; princess with a sword holding the devil on a leash; young woman with Saint Gerebernus

"Lord, you have graciously chosen St. Dymphna to be the patroness of those afflicted with mental illness and nervous disorders, and have caused her to be an inspiration and a symbol of charity to the thousands who invoke her intercession; grant, through the prayers of this pure youthful martyr, relief and consolation to all who suffer from theses disturbances, and especially to those for whom we pray. We beg You to accept and to satisfy the prayers of St. Dymphna on our behalf. Grant to those we have particularly recommended patience in their sufferings and resignation to Your Divine Will. Fill them with hope and, if it be in accord with Your Divine Plan, bestow upon them the cure they so earnestly desire. Through Christ, our Lord, Amen."

Prayer To Saint Dymphna

Patron of emotional and mental disorders, runaways, domestic violence,

child abuse, sexual abuse, and post-traumatic stress disorder

O God, we humbly beseech You, through Your servant, St. Dymphna,

who sealed with her blood the love she bore for You, to grant relief to those

who suffer from mental afflictions and nervous disorders, especially (name it).

St. Dymphna, helper of the mentally afflicted, pray for us.

Glory be to the Father and to the Son and to the Holy Ghost

as it was in the beginning, is now and ever shall be, world without end. Amen.

A Brief Story of St. Dymphna,
Patron of Victims of Nervous Disorders*

ISLE OF SAINTS has long been a title popularly given to the island evangelized by St. Patrick, which nestles in the blue waters of the Atlantic. And appropriately it is so called for the names of the Irish saints would more than fill the Church's calendar. Yet it is to be regretted that Catholics for the most part are entirely unfamiliar with so many of these glorious saints, yes, even ignorant of their very names. One such forgotten or unknown saint, who, on account of her spotless virtue and glorious martyrdom, is sometimes referred to as the "Lily of Fire," is St. Dymphna. True, the records of the life and martyrdom of this holy virgin are for the most part meager and unsatisfactory, but sufficient is known regarding the principal faces of her life and of her many well-authenticated miracles to attest to an exalted sanctity.

St. Dymphna was born in the 7th century, when Ireland was almost universally Catholic. Yet, strange to say, her father, a petty king of Oriel, was still a pagan. Her mother, a descendant of a noble family, was, on the other hand, a devout Christian., who was remarkable both for her piety and her great beauty. Dymphna was, like her mother, a paragon of beauty, and a most sweet and winning child, the "jewel" of her home. Every affection and attention was lavished upon her from birth. Heaven, too, favored the child with special graces. Dymphna was early placed under the care and tutelage of a pious Christian woman, who prepared her for baptism, which was conferred by the saintly priest Father Gerebran. The latter seems to have been a member of the household, and later taught little Dymphna her letters along with the truths of religion. Dymphna was a bright and eager pupil, and advanced rapidly in wisdom and grace. When still very young, Dymphna, like so many other nobel Irish maidens before and after her, being filled with fervor and love for Jesus Christ, chose Him for her Divine Spouse and consecrated her virginity to Him and to His Blessed Mother by a vow of chastity.

It was not long, however, until an unexpected cloud overshadowed the happy childhood of the beautiful girl. She lost her good mother by death. Many were the secret tears she shed over this bereavement, but at the same time she found great comfort in the Divine Faith which, though she was still of a tender age, already had taken deep root.

Dymphna's father, too, greatly mourned his deceased wife and for a long time continued prostrate with grief. At length he was persuaded by his counselors to seek solace in a second marriage. So he commissioned certain ones of his court to seek out for him a lady who would be like his first spouse in beauty and character. After visiting many countries in vain, the messengers returned saying that they could find none so charming and amiable as his own lovely daughter, Dymphna. Giving ear to their base suggestion, the king conceived the evil design of marrying Dymphna. With persuasive and flattering words he manifested his purpose to her. Dymphna, as may be expected, was greatly horrified at the suggestion, and asked for a period of forty days to consider the proposal. She immediately betook herself to Father Gerebran, who advised her to flee from her native country, and since the danger was imminent, he urged her to make no delay.

With all speed, therefore, she set out for the continent, accompanied by Father Gerebran, the court jester and his wife. After a favorable passage, they arrived on the coast near the present city of Antwerp. Having stopped for a short rest, they resumed their journey and came to a little village named Gheel. Here they were hospitably received and began to make plans for establishing their future abode at this place.

The king, in the meantime, having discovered Dymphna's flight, was fearfully angry, and immediately set out with his followers in search of the fugitives. After some time, they were traced to Belgium and their place of refuge was located. At first, Dymphna's father tried to persuade her to return with him, but Father Gerebran sternly rebuked him for his wicked intentions, whereupon he gave orders that Father Gerebran should be put to death. Without delay, his wicked retainers laid violent hands upon the priest and struck him on the neck with a sword. With one blow of the steel, the head was severed from the shoulders and another glorious martyr went to join the illustrious heroes of Christ's kingdom.

Further attempts on the part of Dymphna's father to induce her to return with him proved fruitless. With undaunted courage she spurned his enticing promises and scorned his cruel threats. Infuriated by her resistance, the father drew a dagger from his belt and he himself struck off the head of his child. Recommending her soul to the mercy of God, the holy virgin fell prostrate at the feet of her insanely raving father. Thus the glorious crown of martyrdom was accorded to St. Dymphna in the fifteenth year of her age, on the fifteenth day of May, between 620 and 640. The day of her death has been assigned as her feastday.

The records of Dymphna's life and death say that the bodies of the two martyred saints lay on the ground for quite some time after their death, until the inhabitants of Gheel removed them to a cave, which was the customary manner of interment in that part of the world at the time of the martyrdoms. But after several years had elapsed, the villagers, recalling their holy deaths, decided to give the bodies a more suitable burial. When the workmen removed the heap of black earth at the cave's entrance, great was their astonishment to find two most beautiful tombs, whiter than snow, which were carved from stone, as if by angel hands. When the coffin of St. Dymphna was opened there was found lying on her breast a red tile bearing the inscription:

"Here lies the holy virgin and martyr, Dymphna."

The remains of the saint were placed in a small church. Later necessity obliged the erection of the magnificent "Church of St. Dymphna," which now stands on the site where the bodies were first buried. St. Dymphna's relics repose there in a beautiful golden reliquary.

Miracles and cures began to occur in continually increasing numbers. Gradually St. Dymphna's fame as patroness of victims of nervous diseases and mental disorders was spread from country to country. More and more mentally afflicted persons were brought to the shrine by relatives and friends, many coming in pilgrimages from far-distant places. Novenas were made, and St. Dymphna's relic was applied to the patients. The remarkable cures reported caused confidence in the saint to grow daily. At first the patients were lodged in a small annex built onto the church. Then gradually it came about that the patients were place in the homes of the families living in Gheel. From this beginning Gheel developed into a town world-famed for its care of the insane and mentally afflicted. An institution, called the "Infirmary of St. Elizabeth," which was conducted by the Sisters of St. Augustine was later built for the hospital care of the patients. Most of the latter, after some time spent in the institution, are placed in one or other of the families of Gheel, where they lead a comparatively normal life. Every home in Gheel is proud to welcome to its inmost family circle such patients as are ready to return to the environment of family life. Generations of experience have given to the people of Gheel an intimate and tender skill in dealing with their charges, and their remarkable spirit of charity and Christlike love for these afflicted members of society gives to our modern-day world, so prone to put its whole reliance on science and to forge the principles of true Christian charity, a lesson the practice of which would do much to restore certain types of mentally afflicted individuals to an almost normal outlook on life.

Renowned psychiatrists are in full agreement with this statement, and testify that a surprisingly large number of patients could leave mental institutions if they could be assured of a sympathetic reception in the world, such as the people of Gheel take pride in showing. In fact, psychiatrists state that institutions can help certain cases only to a given extent, and when that point is reached, they must have help from persons outside the institution if the progress made in the institution is to have fruition. Gheel is the living confirmation of this statement and an exemplar of the Gospel teachings on charity.

"To live without faith, without a patrimony to defend, without a steady struggle for truth, that is not living, but existing."

Pier Giorgio Frassati was born in Turin, Italy on Holy Saturday, April 6, 1901. His father, an agnostic, was the founder and director of the liberal newspaper, La Stampa, and was influential in Italian politics, serving a term as senator, and later was Italy's ambassador to Germany. He spent the flower of his youth between two world wars when Italy was in social ferment and Fascism was on the rise.

Pier Giorgio developed a deep spiritual life which he never hesitated to share with his friends. In 1918 he joined the St. Vincent de Paul Society and dedicated much of his spare time to serving the sick and the needy. He decided to become a mining engineer so he could "serve Christ better among the miners," as he told a friend. His studies, however, did not keep him from social activism.

In 1919, he joined the Catholic Student Federation and the Popular Party, a political organization which promoted the Catholic Church's teachings. He even entertained the idea of merging the Catholic Student Federation with the Catholic Workers' Organization.

"Charity is not enough: we need social reform," he used to say, as he worked for both. He also gave his time to help establish a Catholic daily newspaper Momento which was based on the principles of Pope Leo XIII's encyclical on social and economic matters, Rerum Novarum.

Although the Frassati family was well-to-do, the father was frugal and never gave his two children much spending money. What little he did have, however, Pier Giorgio gave to help the poor, even using his train fare for charity and then running home to be on time for meals in a house where punctuality and frugality were the law. When asked by friends why he often rode third class on the trains he would reply with a smile, "Because there is not a fourth class."

When he was a child a poor mother with a boy in tow came begging to the Frassati home. Pier Giorgio answered the door, and seeing the boy's shoeless feet gave him his own shoes. At graduation, given the choice by his father of money or a car he chose the money and gave it to the poor. He obtained a room for a poor old woman evicted from her tenement, provided a bed for a consumptive invalid, supported three children of a sick and grieving widow. He kept a small ledger book containing detailed accounts of his transactions, and while he lay on his death bed, he gave instructions to his sister, asking her to see to the needs of families who depended on his charity. He even took the time, with a near-paralyzed hand, to write a note to a friend in the St. Vincent de Paul Society with instructions regarding their weekly Friday visits. Only God knew of these charities; he never mentioned them to others.

At the Italian embassy in Berlin, he was admired by a German news reporter who wrote: "One night in Berlin, with the temperature at twelve degrees below zero, he gave his overcoat to a poor old man shivering with cold. His father scolded him, and he replied simply and matter-of-factly: 'But you see, papa, it was cold.'"

Pier Giorgio also spent time in the countryside with friends; mountain climbing was one of his favorite sports. On these outings, however, the young friends (who, in a bit of irony, called themselves "The Sinister Ones") did not hesitate to share their religious inspiration and spiritual lives. Beneath the smiling exterior of the restless university student was concealed the amazing life of a mystic. Love for Jesus motivated his actions. He assisted at Mass and communion daily, often serving Mass and making a lengthy thanksgiving afterward.

He felt a strong, mysterious urge to be near the Blessed Sacrament. During nocturnal adoration, he would spend all night on his knees in profound prayer. He influenced other students to make the annual university retreat given by the Jesuits. He loved the rosary, a family practice, and prayed it three times daily after becoming a Dominican tertiary.

He made it a regular habit upon returning from skiing to visit the Blessed Sacrament, and attending Mass before going to the mountains. He wrote to a friend, "I left my heart on the mountain peaks and I hope to retrieve it this summer when I climb Mt. Blanc. If my studies permitted, I would spend whole days on the mountains admiring in that pure atmosphere the magnificence of God."

Frassati was also imbued with the refinement of higher education and the upper class Turinese milieu. He frequented opera, theaters, and museums; he loved art and music and could quote whole chunks of Dante.

In 1922 he joined the Dominican Third Order choosing the name Girolamo after his personal hero, the Dominican preacher and reformer of Florence's Renaissance. Despite the many organizations to which Pier Giorgio belonged, he was not a passive "joiner"; records show that he was active and involved in each, fulfilling all the duties of membership. Pier Giorgio was strongly anti-fascist and did nothing to hide his political views.

Participating in a Church-organized demonstration in Rome, he withstood police violence and rallied the other young people by grabbing the banner which the police had knocked out of someone else's hands. He held it even higher while using the pole to ward off their blows. When the demonstrators were arrested by the police, he refused special treatment that he might have received because of his father's political position, preferring to stay with his friends. One night a group of fascists broke into his family's home to attack him and his father. Pier Giorgio beat them off single-handedly chasing them down the street calling them, "Blackguards! Cowards!"

In late June 1925 Pier Giorgio was afflicted by an acute attack of poliomyelitis which doctors later speculated he caught from the poor and sick whom he tended. Neglecting his own health because his grandmother was dying, his illness was too advanced for anyone to treat when doctors discovered how weak he was. Pier Giorgio died on July 4, 1925, at the age of 24.

His family expected Turin's elite and political figures to come to offer their condolences and attend the funeral; they naturally expected to find many of his friends there as well. They were surprised, however, to find the streets of the city lined with thousands of mourners as the cortege passed by. Those who mourned his death most were the poor and needy whom he had served so unselfishly for seven years; many of these, in turn, were surprised to learn that the saintly young man they new only as "Fra Girolamo" came from such an influential family. It was these poor people who petitioned the Archbishop of Turin to begin the cause for canonization. The process was opened in 1932 and he was beatified on May 20, 1990. Blessed Pier Giorgio Frassati's feast day is July 4.                

"One ought to go and one goes. It is not those who suffer violence that should fear,

but those who practice it. When God is with us, we do not need to be afraid."

 

Villa Ametis - Frassati, Pollone

"Yesterday my sister was married with the Rites of the Catholic Church... But while I am happy because my sister is happy the more so because her husband is good in the sense that you and I understand, on the other hand yesterday the separation was terrible. You can imagine my only sister, the companion of my childhood: to see her leaving for such distant shores was for me a stroke in the heart."

His sickness was not understood. His parents wholly taken up by the agony, death and burial of his grandmother, had not even suspected the paralysis. Far from it, two days before the end, his mother kept on scolding him for not helping her in such days. Not even in those desperate final days could he ever forget his closest friends, the poor. It was Friday, the day he visited them. While lying on his death bed he wanted the usual material assistance to be brought to them.  He asked his sister to take a small packet from his jacket and with a semi-paralysed hand he wrote the following note to Grimaldi: "here are the injections for Converso. The pawn ticket is Sappa's. I had forgotten it; renew it on my behalf".

When the priest who was attending him asked 'What if your grandmother were to call you to heaven?, he replied "How happy I would be". But he immediately added, "what about father and mother?" and the priest replied, "Giorgio, you will not abandon them; you will live in spirit with them from heaven. You will give them your faith and your self-denial, you will continue to be one family".
These few words were enough to dispel Pier Giorgio's final human concerns and he smiled, nodded his head and said "Yes".

His sacrifice was fulfilled at seven o'clock in the evening of the 4th July 1925. His funeral was a triumph and an apotheosis; and only then, at the sight of hundreds of his poor following the coffin, who realised that they would no longer welcome that merciful and pious young man bearing a loaf of bread to sate their hunger and words of hope to comfort their misery, was it known to everyone, even to his own family, who Pier Giorgio truly was.

HE LEFT THIS WORLD RATHER YOUNG, BUT HE MADE A MARK UPON OUR ENTIRE CENTURY, AND NOT ONLY ON OUR CENTURY.
John Paul II - Rome, 20 May 1990

On July 4, 1925, death presented itself to Pier Giorgio Frassati. His last words are reported to have been:  ‘Here I am, Lord.’ Then, calmly, he closed his eyes.

To his parents’ surprise, thousands lined the streets for Pier Giorgio Frassati’s funeral. Most of the congregation was made up of poor people that Pier Giorgio served until the week before his passing. Marco Beltramo walked in front of his closest friend’s coffin wearing his military uniform. An Italian politician mourned the death of the Senator’s son: “The best man in the world just died.”  The Royal Polytechnic Institute awarded Pier Giorgio Frassati a posthumous degree in mining engineering on April 6, 2001, the hundredth anniversary of his birth.. Alfredo Frassati returned to the Sacraments after Pier Giorgio’s death and, through several business ventures, mostly in the energy sector, he lived until 1961, his ninety-third year.  Luciana Frassati, a lawyer, lived to be 105 years old, dying in October, 2007. Pier Giorgio’s body was found to be incorrupt in 1981 shortly after Pope John Paul II prayed at the grave in Pollone, Italy, of the person he called “the man of the eight Beatitudes.”  During a ceremony in St. Peter’s Square attended by thousands of young people, Pier Giorgio Frassati was beatified on May 20, 1990. When Pier Giorgio Frassati was no longer able to climb the mountains he loved, God called His great servant to the greatest of summits- upward to the top, to Heaven, “Verso l’alto!”

Let us pray, in the words of Father Thomas Rosica, CSB.  After each petition, the response is “Show us the way, Verso l’alto, upward to Heaven.”

Pier Giorgio, help us to strive for simple hearts, attentive to the needs of others, and friendships based on that pact that knows no earthly boundaries: union in prayer. If we do not know the road, and if we often abandon the path…

If by being superficial we have not put into our knapsack all that we need for the climb, and if we never lift up our gaze because we do not want to take the first demanding steps to set ourselves on the way…

If we lack the strength to overcome the most difficult passes, and if we have the strength but prefer to use it to turn back…

If we never pause to be nourished by the bread of eternal life, and if we do not quench our thirst from the fountain of prayer…

When we do not know how to contemplate the beauty of the gifts we have received, and when we do not know how to offer ourselves for others…

If we have committed many sins…

If we have lost hope…

Pray for us, Blessed Pier Giorgio Frassati. Show us the way, “Verso l’alto,” upward to Heaven and deep into the heart of God. Teach us how to be holy Saints for the Church and for the world, to give witness to the Beatitudes with our lives. Amen.

The above is an excerpt taken from a biography of Pier Giorgio Frassati written by Warren Schmidt, a 29 year old  native of Edmonton, Alberta, Canada.who in June, 2007 joined the Congregation of St. Basil, a community of Roman Catholic priests and those in formation for the priesthood.  He returned to Canada in June, 2008, after 6 months serving with the Basilians in Cali, Colombia, and entered the Novitiate in Windsor, Ontario on August 15, 2008. He made his first profession of vows as a Basilian on August 15, 2009, and entered his first year of Theology at the University of St. Michael’s College in Toronto the following  September.  To read the entire biography, please click on the link below.
http://catholiccanada.wordpress.com/2009/03/13/verso-lalto-blessed-pier-giorgio-frassati/

Saint Teresa, church window, Convento de Sta Teresa Ávila de los Caballeros, Spain

 

  Teresa of Avila, by Francois Gerard
 
 

An excerpt from

The Life of St. Teresa of Jesus, by Teresa of Avila

"I used to pray to our Lord for help; but, as it now seems to
me, I must have committed the fault of not putting my whole trust
in His Majesty, and of not thoroughly distrusting myself.
I sought for help, took great pains; but it must be that I did
not understand how all is of little profit if we do not root out
all confidence in ourselves, and place it wholly in God. I wished
to live, but I saw clearly that I was not living, but rather
wrestling with the shadow of death; there was no one to give me
life, and I was not able to take it.  He Who could have given it
me had good reasons for not coming to my aid, seeing that He had
brought me back to Himself so many times, and I as often had
left Him."  

You can read the entire text of 
The Life of Saint Teresa of Jesus 
at Project Gutenberg:
http://www.gutenberg.org/dirs/etext05/7trsa10.txt

Agatha of Sicily

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Saint Agatha of Sicily
The Martyrdom of Saint Agatha, by Sebastiano del Piombo
Virgin and Martyr
Born	3rd century AD, Catania or Palermo
Died	c. 251, Catania
Venerated in	Roman Catholic Church Eastern Orthodox Churches Oriental Orthodoxy
Feast	February 5th
Attributes	shears, tongs, breasts on a plate
Patronage	Ali, Sicily; bellfounders; breast cancer; bakers, Catania, Sicily; against fire; earthquakes; eruptions of Mt. Etna; fire; jewelers; marters; natural disasters; nurses. Palermo, Sicily; rape victims; San Marino; single laywomen; sterility; torture victims; volcanic eruptions; wet nurses; Zamarramala, Spain

Agatha of Sicily, or Saint Agatha (died ) is a Christian saint. Her memorial is on 5th of February. Agatha was born at Catana and she was martyred in approximately 251. She is one of seven women, excluding the Blessed Virgin Mary, commemorated by name in the Canon of the Mass.

According to variations of her legend, having rejected the amorous advances of a Roman prefect, she was persecuted by him for her Christian faith. Among the tortures she underwent was the cutting off of her breasts. She is therefore often depicted iconographically carrying her excised breasts on a platter.

The shape of her amputated breasts, especially as depicted in artistic renderings, gave rise to her attribution as the patron saint of bell-founders and as the patron saint of bakers. More recently, she has been venerated as patron saint of breast cancer patients.

Her scorned admirer eventually sentenced her to death by being burnt at stake.  However, she was saved from this fate by a mysterious earthquake. She later died in prison.

She is the patron saint of Catania, of San Marino, and of Malta because her intercession is reported to have saved Malta from Turkish invasion in 1551.

In Torricella Peligna, she is revered and sought after at a fountain whose water is said to increase breast health and breast milk for nursing mothers.

Rural Fountains

The territory of Torricella has a particularly large number of rural fountains built to gather and make the best use of water sources.  Most of these were built or restructured during the 1800s, a century which witnessed the building of many new fountains and the restoration or reconstruction of older fountains, even ones dating back to Roman times, as in the one near the Juvanum archeological site.  Some fountains did not undergo restructuring in the 1800s.  The oldest fountains in the area to remain intact were the 16 ^th century “La Fonte” in the territory of Altino, the “Pila” near Gessopalena built in 1716, and just before that the one in Rosello. The territory of Torricella has a particularly large number of rural fountains built to gather and make the best use of water sources. Most of these were built or restructured during the 1800s, a century which witnessed the building of many new fountains and the restoration or reconstruction of older fountains, even ones dating back to Roman times, as in the one near the archeological site Juvanum. Some fountains did not undergo restructuring in the 1800s. The oldest fountains in the area to remain intact were the 16 ^th century "The Source" in the territory of Altino, the "Stack" near Gessopalena built in 1716, and just before that the one in Rosello.

Generally, the fountains in the area are characterized by their spouts, often decorated with large allegoric masks as in the beautiful fountain of Fallascoso, as well as their large basins built of stone or brick.  The basins were designed to allow animals to drink whereas those in the valleys were designed more to wash clothes, and in rare occasions also to macerate hemp fiber.  There were irrigated vegetable gardens surrounding the fountains, especially near inhabited areas. Generally, the fountains in the area are characterized by their spouts, often decorated with large allegoric masks as in the beautiful fountain of Fallascoso, as well as their large basins built of stone or brick. The basins were designed to allow animals to drink whereas those in the valleys were designed more to wash clothes, and on rare occasions also to macerated hemp fiber. There were irrigated vegetable gardens surrounding the fountains, especially near inhabited areas.

In the medieval and renaissance eras, the integrity of the springs and fountains was guaranteed by strict norms and regulations codified in the ancient municipal statutes, as in those for Altino from the 1400s, all with the intention of preventing the pollution of water sources.  Therefore, animals, especially pigs, could not feed near fountains and wells, and human forms of pollution, including the depositing of human waste, were prohibited. In the medieval and renaissance eras, the integrity of the springs and fountains was guaranteed by strict norms and regulations codified in the ancient municipal statutes, as in those for Altino from the 1400s, all with the intention of preventing the pollution of water sources. Therefore , animals, especially pigs, could not feed near fountains and wells, and human forms of pollution, including the depositing of human waste, were prohibited.

Some fountains were well known for their miraculous qualities; consequently, they became objects of their own cults with probable ancient roots.  One of these is the Fontana delle Sese, positioned along the Tratturo (sheep track) in the Colle Zingaro hamlet of Torricella.  This fountain was believed to promote milk production, and women were drawn to its waters for this purpose. 

Undoubtedly, fountains were very important places to socialize, especially for women who spent time there on a daily basis to collect water or wash clothes.  Near sources of water women met, exchanged ideas and chatted.  At times fountains were also the scenes of elusive romantic encounters.  At the beginning of the 1900s, the first aqueducts were constructed and the fountains began to lose importance.  Thus, these places that had been so alive and so central to everyday life fell regrettably into oblivion and abandon. Undoubtedly, fountains were very important places to socialize, especially for women who spent time there on a daily basis to collect water or wash clothes. Near sources of water women met, exchanged ideas and chatted. At times fountains were also the scenes of romantic elusive encounters. At the beginning of the 1900s, the first aqueducts were constructed and the fountains began to lose importance. Thus, these places that had been so alive and so central to everyday life regrettably fell into oblivion and abandon.

Produced by:  A. Produced by: A. Lanci Allestimenti Museali - Lanciano (CH) Launches museum - Lanciano (CH)