Panacea De' Muzzi

Biography

According to some historical sources, Panacea was born in Quarona in 1368, by Lorenzo Muzio and Maria Gambino, originally from Ghemme. The sudden death of his mother pushed her father to marry again, so as not to miss his baby daughter so important the maternal element. Lorenzo took to wife, then a certain Margherita, from Locarno Sesia, also a widow and mother of one daughter. After the remarriage of his father, Panacea, always devoted to good deeds and care for the sick, she began to suffer continuous torture and mistreatment by the new relatives, contrary to his works of charity and hostile to his piety. As described in detail by the most recent biographers, the girl was subjected to the most menial jobs and was constantly monitored, even with the advance of his age.

A spring evening of 1383, Panacea, at the time she was just fifteen years old, was far away from home to look after the sheep; stepmother, not seeing her arrive, personally went to his research. Surpassing the Quarona pastures and Mount Tucri, she found the girl in prayer, near the ancient church of San Giovanni (St. John). Furious, Margherita scolded severely and, in the throes of a moment of fury and repeatedly slammed with a particular object, maybe a stick found nearby, killing her instantly. Noticing immediately of the crime committed, the woman threw herself in despair in a nearby ravine. Attracted by the spontaneous and prolonged sound of Quarona's bells, they realized the dad and the inhabitants of Quarona with the parish priest Don Rocco, who, however, failed to lift off the ground the body of Panacea. The pastor informed the then Bishop of Novara, Oldrado Maineri, who came accompanied by the clergy who ascertained the miraculous and in the name of God commanded the Panacea body to let raise. Then the body was carried downstream and placed on a cart pulled by oxen, but the bulls were unable to pull the wagon and were replaced by two calves not yet subject to towing and they walked without a guide toward a field of Lorenzo Giuliani properties, a relative of Panacea, but opposed the burial in his field. The calves, guided by the spirit of Panacea, resumed their journey toward the plain, followed by the Bishop, the clergy and by many people. They crossed Borgosesia, Grignasco, Prato Sesia, Romagnano Sesia and came to Ghemme; the bells of the church rang Ghemme spontaneously came as the Panacea corpse and citizens of Ghemme flocked to see the wagon stop in the cemetery, where was buried her mother. Panacea was so buried next to his mother on 1 May 1383, the first Friday of the month.

Cult

The cult of Panacea was widespread since the beginning of the fifteenth century, mainly in the local area, getting confirmation from the Catholic Church only in 1867. At the beginning of the fifteenth century were built as early as two oratories dedicated to the blessed one on the place of martyrdom, Beata al Monte (Blessed to Mount), the other in the country where his remains are located, Beata al Piano (Blessed to the Plan). The body now lies in a glass case inside the church of Ghemme, in the crypt realized by the architect Alessandro Antonelli; it is still a place of pilgrimage, especially by the population of Piedmont. Still inside the church, it is possible also to see the old tomb in the center of the nave, where the Blessed rest since the year of his death until 1666, the year in which the ancient cemetery of Ghemme was dismantled and moved elsewhere in order to expand the church to its present size. The feast of the Blessed Panacea date has been set for May 5 by the diocese of Novara, as it falls on the first Friday of the month in the vicariate of the Valsesia.