Sanctuary of Blessed Giacomo da Bitetto

SP1, 70020 Bitetto BA

History of the Sanctuary of Blessed Giacomo of Bitetto

The historian Bonaventura da Lama reports that the Reformed Franciscan Friars, who succeeded the Observants in 1625, demolished the wooden roof of the primitive church and, after reinforcing the pillars from the foundations, raised the current barrel vault with Baroque windows above the large trabeation. Later, they attached robust pilasters to the pillars, on which they set the arches of the cross vaults of the side aisles. The interior of the Sanctuary of Blessed Giacomo of Bitetto has continuously changed in appearance. Subsequent renovations of the flooring caused the disappearance of the tombstones of the Carafa and De Angelis families, attested in 1647 by Fr. Diego da Lequile. In 1943, the altars were dismantled and replaced with six new ones in yellow marble, which were not left undisturbed, as in 1976 they became five, with the removal of the mensa and pedestal.

Description of the Sanctuary of Blessed Giacomo of Bitetto

To the left of the main altar is the chapel of the Blessed; on the altar of the chapel is displayed for the veneration of the faithful the urn containing the incorrupt body of the Blessed, dressed in the Franciscan habit with a golden halo under the head. The rectangular urn, in gilded bronze, consists of the base and the frame, in which the five crystals are set. The base is composed of two bands; the first is embossed all around with dense drapery, interspersed at the corners by four small winged monsters; the second is an intertwining of leaves arranged horizontally and in reverse order after every group of four. The frame, built with volutes and palmettes, has a jagged rosette in the center and on the front corners the coat of arms of Bitetto and the Franciscan one. The urn is protected by a marble canopy, on whose pediment is written: Beato Jacobo Illirico Bitectenses grato animo A.D. XXV maj MCMXIII.

Relics

In the convent, a precious reliquary containing a finger of the Blessed is preserved. Also linked to the cult are two trees planted by the Blessed.

Dates to Remember

April 26

The reliquary is solemnly carried in procession through the streets of Bitetto on April 26, the liturgical feast of the Blessed.

Types of Ex-Votos

According to historians and convent chroniclers, the ex-votos covered the walls of the Blessed’s chapel and were even hung on the urn containing the body. The few surviving ex-votos are the only ones that escaped the recurring thefts perpetrated over the centuries in the sanctuary. Almost all are subsequent to the dispersal of the Franciscans following the eversive laws of the last century. These expressions of popular piety attest to miraculous interventions of the Blessed in various moments and situations of peasant civilization. They include: Tablets or plaques with inscriptions, Painted tablets, Various objects
Some miracles of the Blessed are depicted in the frescoed lunettes along the cloister porticoes of the convent of the Friars Minor.

Recognitions of the Body of Blessed Giacomo

Noteworthy are the four recognitions of the incorrupt body of the Blessed that took place in the sanctuary in the following chronological order: –First recognition medical-canonical on October 8, 1695, during the episcopate of Francesco Onofrio Odierna, bishop of Bitetto (1684-1717). –Second recognition on March 13, 1723, during the episcopate of Gioacchino Francesco Caprini, bishop of Bitetto (1718-1729). –Third recognition medical-canonical on May 15, 1913, during the episcopate of Giulio Vaccaro, archbishop of Bari (1898-1926). –Fourth recognition medical-canonical on May 28, 1986, during the episcopate of Mariano Andrea Magrassi, O.S.B., archbishop of Bari and Bitonto (1977-1999).

SP1, 70020 Bitetto BA, Italy