Sanctuary of San Domenico in Soriano: A History of Visions, Earthquakes, and Devotion

The Sanctuary of San Domenico in Soriano is a place where history intertwines with the miraculous, where faith has withstood the forces of nature, and where a canvas gifted by celestial hands has inspired centuries of devotion. Its story is a journey through apparitions, reconstructions, and wonders that continue to draw pilgrims.

History and Miraculous Origins

The history of this sanctuary begins with a dream. In December 1510, a friar named Father Vincenzo began to have nightly visions of Saint Dominic of Guzmán, founder of the Order of Preachers. The Saint appeared to the religious man, insistently requesting the erection of a new sanctuary. These apparitions repeated several times, finally prompting Father Vincenzo to depart for Soriano to found the new convent.

But the most extraordinary prodigy occurred on the night between September 14 and 15, 1530. The friars of the new convent, having gone down to the church for matins, found themselves before three women of extraordinary beauty. These mysterious figures handed them a canvas depicting Saint Dominic. The astonishment of the religious men was immense, not so much for the precious gift, but for the awareness that all the doors of the church and the convent were locked from the inside, making humanly impossible the entry of strangers.

The following night, one of the three women reappeared to a friar, revealing her identity: she was Saint Catherine of Siena. She said the other two were the Blessed Virgin Mary and Saint Mary Magdalene. This miraculous event forever marked the sanctuary, making the canvas an object of profound veneration.

Architecture: A Faith Reborn from the Rubble

The architectural history of the sanctuary is marked by resilience, a continuous reconstruction after natural calamities.

• **First destruction and Baroque reconstruction**: The original building was destroyed by the **earthquake of 1659**. The response of faith was a monumental project: a church with eight chapels and five convent cloisters, built between 1650 and 1664 in Baroque style.

• **The 1783 earthquake**: Another tremendous earthquake in **1783** razed the Basilica and part of the Monastery to the ground. The cult was transferred to a different wing of the same complex, where the **new sanctuary** was built, only partially completed in 1850.

The Miraculous Canvas and the Ex Votos

At the center of the devotion is the miraculous canvas, painted in tempera between 1400 and 1500 (dimensions 1.98m x 1.255m). It depicts Saint Dominic full-length, with the Gospel in his right hand and lily flowers in his left. Put into use in 1530, it was originally kept in the sacristy of the basilica.

Its presence has attracted over the centuries a myriad of ex votos, a tangible sign of graces received:

• **Types of ex votos**: Goldsmithing objects, anthropomorphic figurines, real or represented prostheses, and other objects.

• **Attested graces**: Chronicles between the 1500s and 1600s report **healings**, **protection from calamities**, **conversions**, and even extraordinary episodes of people **dead or apparently dead returning to life** through the Saint’s intercession.

• **Preservation**: Unfortunately, many of these precious ex votos were stolen over time, due to earthquakes and the **suppression of ecclesiastical assets** carried out by the Napoleonic government.

Prodigies and Papal Recognitions

The history of the sanctuary is dotted with extraordinary events that have strengthened the faith of the devotees.

• **The prodigy of 1870**: On **September 15, 1870**, during the feast of the Saint and in the presence of many faithful, the **statue of Saint Dominic came to life**, shaking and moving in the air. This supernatural phenomenon lasted about an hour and a half, leaving those present in a state of profound wonder and devotion.

The sanctuary has also received important recognitions from the Holy See:

• **Pope Urban VIII** granted the Plenary Indulgence on October 27, 1638.

• **Pope Innocent X** (1645) and **Pope Clement XI** (1716) in turn granted the Plenary Indulgence.

• **Pope Benedict XIII** in 1722 declared all the altars of the sanctuary privileged and in 1725 granted a further Plenary Indulgence with a Bull.

How to Visit the Sanctuary

Visiting the Sanctuary of San Domenico in Soriano means following the footsteps of an ancient devotion, born from a dream and grown despite adversities. It is a place where sacred art, though marked by reconstructions, tells a story of unshakable faith.

• **What to see**: Today, visitors can admire the architecture of the rebuilt sanctuary, venerate the **miraculous canvas**, and immerse themselves in the atmosphere of a place where heaven seems to have touched the earth.

• **Historical journey**: The pilgrimage here becomes an experience that touches the fundamental milestones of its history: from the dreamlike origins in 1510, to the miracle of the canvas in 1530, up to the testimonies of more recent prodigies like that of 1870.

A journey to Soriano is not just a cultural visit, but an opportunity to connect with a living spiritual tradition, which has known how to transform material destructions into occasions to be reborn, stronger and more rooted than before.