The Amazing Story of Ferruzzi’s Madonnina

It is called the Restful Madonna, or Madonna and sleeping child or even the Street Madonna. Whatever one refers to it as, it is one of those holy pictures which is found everywhere and that is a testimony to popular faith. This renowned Madonna portrait has an incredible story to say the least. It all began at the end of the 19th century, when the Italian painter Roberto Ferruzzi met a 13-year-old girl, Angelina Cian. Moved by the way she looked after her little brother, a tiny baby at the time, the painter decided to represent them together in a beautiful painting symbolizing motherhood. Against all odds, the painting, which was presented at the Venice Biennale, seduced the jury by its gentleness and received the first prize in 1897.

From that moment on, the painting was an incredible success and was given a religious connotation. With her face full of sweetness and the sleeping baby in her arms, the girl is undeniably reminiscent of the Virgin Mary. Very quickly, it was ‘baptized’ the "Madonnina"! Building on this success, the painter sold the copyright to photographers, the Alinari brothers, who reprinted the image thousands of times. As for the original painting, it was sold to U.S. Ambassador John George Alexander Leishman, who shipped it on a boat to the United States. Unfortunately, it never reached its destination and all trace of the original was lost.

But the story doesn't end there. Angelina, the girl in the painting, married a Venetian a few years later and moved to the United States. Together, the couple had ten children. Unfortunately, Angelina lost her husband and found herself in great financial difficulty with her young children. Distraught, she gradually lost her mind and found herself committed to a psychiatric facility where she died in 1972.

Among her ten children, a daughter, Mary, became a nun and took the name Sister Angela Maria. Eager to learn more about her family and her roots, she went to Italy. There, she met two of her aunts, Angelina's sisters. And to her surprise, she discovered that the image of the Virgin, by this time so well known in Italy, and before which so many faithful had been praying for years, was actually the portrait of her beloved mother when she was a teenager. Today, the Madonnina is still as popular and is one of those holy pictures of the Virgin that all Italians have at home.

Maria Paola Daud - Published on Aleteia - 24/02/21

https://www.safcam.org/the-amazing-story-of-ferruzzis-madonnina