As the crate hit the water, the storm calmed down

On March 25, 1370, a ship from Catalonia (Spain) was in trouble off Cagliari, Sardinia, caught in a sudden storm. To avoid sinking, the crew had to lighten the load by throwing its cargo overboard. Among the sacrificed cargo was a large heavy crate. As soon it hit the water, the storm calmed down. The same crate gently reached the shore of Cagliari.

Above the beach was the monastery of Bonaria. Some of its monks found the crate, which contained a large wooden statue of the Virgin Mary, with the Child Jesus on one arm, and a burning candle in the other. They named her Our Lady of Bonaria.

The devotion to this Virgin spread very quickly across Sardinia and among Spanish sailors. Her shrine became a spiritual destination for pilgrims and a symbol of identity for the Sardinians. She is the protectress of navigators, and the greatest patron saint of the island.

The Mercedarian brothers settled on the hill in 1335, and have now been there for seven centuries. Their founder was Saint Peter Nolasco, who started the order in Barcelona in 1218 with the purpose of freeing Christians held in slavery by Muslims.

The Marie de Nazareth Team