Our Lady of Pompeii

Blessed Bartolo Longo, although baptized and brought up as a Catholic, as a law student at the University of Naples in the 19th century became involved in spiritualism and eventually Satanism, indeed he became a priest of Satan. Through the help of some friends, he repented and came back to the Church.  

Padre Alberto Radente, a learned Dominican, was instrumental in bringing Bartolo back to the practice of his faith. Padre Alberto had told Bartolo that Our Lady had promised that anyone who promoted her Rosary would be saved. Bartolo dedicated his life to promoting the Most Holy Rosary and making the Blessed Virgin better known and loved. He once wrote, “What is my vocation? To write about Mary, to have Mary praised, to have Mary loved.”

Bartolo traveled to the valley of Pompeii to collect rent on behalf of the Countess di Fusco (with whom he eventually entered into a celibate marriage). There he discovered the peasantry living in degraded poverty, squalor, and immorality. Bartolo determined to evangelize the people especially by means of the Rosary. After several years of Bartolo’s apostolic effort, the diocesan bishop asked Bartolo to build a church to honor Our Lady of the Rosary.

To encourage the faithful to contribute to the building of the church, Bartolo decided to acquire a picture of Our Lady of the Rosary. He obtained a damaged, poorly done painting of Our Lady of the Rosary from Mother Concetta, who prophesied that the Holy Virgin would work miracles through that image. Bartolo had the painting restored, refurbished, partially repainted, and adorned with gems donated by the faithful. 

On the first day the painting was exposed for veneration, a twelve year-old girl, who suffered from epilepsy, was miraculously healed when her guardian aunt vowed to support the building of the church if the girl obtained a cure. Soon many more miracles followed.

In May 1891, the cardinal representative of Pope Leo XIII consecrated the church of Our Lady of Pompeii. And in 1939 the building of a basilica to house the image of Our Lady of the Rosary of Pompeii was completed.

After many years of faithful service to the Church, Bartolo Longo died on October 5, 1926, in the odor of sanctity. Pope John Paul II beatified him on October 26, 1980.

Pompeii remains a place of prayer and of pilgrimage. The basilica and the miraculous image of Our Lady of the Rosary of Pompeii continue to testify to the tremendous spiritual power of the Rosary, the great intercessory power of the Holy Virgin before the throne of God, and the good one man can do, even a former Satanist, if he turns himself over completely to God through Mary Immaculate.