The Madonna appeared, beside Egidia, to comfort her

In Bra, a small town in the province of Cuneo which has always belonged to the Diocese of Turin (Italy), on the evening of December 29, 1336, a young wife about to become a mother passed by a devotional column dedicated to the Virgin, on the outskirts of the city. The name of the woman was Egidia Mathis.

Two soldiers from one of those roving bands of mercenaries were hiding in ambush. Suddenly, they attacked the woman, with the intention of raping her despite her advanced pregnancy. Egidia desperately reached for and grasped the image of the Madonna painted on the column, invoking her help. Unexpectedly, a flash of light came out of the image, scaring the soldiers, who ran away. Then the Madonna herself appeared and comforted Egidia for a few minutes, assuring her that she was safe.

The apparition left, but, because of the shock of the attack, Egidia gave birth at the foot of the column. With her newborn baby wrapped up in her scarf, the young mother managed to reach the nearest house. The news of the prodigious event immediately spread in the city. Despite the late hour, people flocked to the place of aggression and apparition.

There, something beautiful awaited them—the bushes of blackthorn surrounding the column were covered with white flowers in spite of the harsh December cold. Since then, this unusual flowering has always reoccurred on the same day.

Vittorio Messori

In The Mary Hypothesis