Shrine of Mary Most Holy Mother of Providence in Pancole
A few kilometers from San Gimignano, among hills of vineyards and olive groves, lies a place where history and spirituality find a home in the magnificent Shrine of Mary Most Holy Mother of Providence. Pancole is a small rural town that houses the shrine where two miracles significant to the faithful are said to have occurred. The first episode tells the story of Bartolomea Ghini, a mute shepherdess who, on an April day in 1668, led her flock to pasture. That day she was gripped by despair and burst into tears because of her and her family's condition of poverty. A beautiful lady then appeared and asked her why she was so sad and, after Bartholomea's reply, reassured her by telling her that when she returned home she would find the pantry full of bread, oil and wine. The shepherdess ran home and was amazed to find that everything the lady had promised her had come true. The parents, too, were pleasantly amazed, not only by the full pantry but also by hearing their daughter scream with joy, having suddenly regained her speech. The episode caused a sensation, and the villagers, led by Bartholomew, wanted to go to the place where the shepherdess had seen the miraculous apparition.
When they arrived, however, they found only a pile of brambles, so with scythes and billhooks they began to uproot the plants until they discovered that, underneath them, an old wayside shrine with a painting depicting precisely the mysterious lady who had appeared to the shepherdess was hidden. On that very spot was a shrine in which Pier Francesco Fiorentino, a well-known painter from Florence, had frescoed the image of the Virgin nursing a Child around the end of the 15th century. The discovery of the painting caused many faithful to flock to the shrine, who donated materials and offerings useful for building a church in which to protect the image of the Madonna. It is also said that during the clearing of brambles a billhook scratched a part of the image, a mark that is still visible today. From this miraculous event the shrine took the name of the Mother of Divine Providence.
The second episode took place during World War II when the retreating German army destroyed the entire building except for the wall where the painting of Our Lady was located. Rebuilt in 1949, the shrine inside contains, in addition to the important painting, other works of art and hundreds of votive offerings left for the faithful.
