Three fountains: what happened when Bruno Cornacchiola saw the Madonna?

(April 12, 1947) - Tre Fontane is a place on the outskirts of Rome; the tradition of the name goes back to the martyrdom and the decapitated head of the apostle Paul who, bouncing, on the amputation, would have hit three times on the ground and in the three points touched a source would have arisen.

The landscape lends itself very well to beautiful excursions and trips; the place is full of natural caves carved into the rocks that often become shelters for vagabonds or host furtive love encounters.

Not far from the Trappist Abbey of Tre Fontane, on a nice spring Saturday, Bruno went with his three children to go on a trip. While Bruno's children were playing, he wrote a report to be presented in a conference, in which he wanted to demonstrate the absolute non-existence of Mary's virginity and the Immaculate Conception, therefore also, according to him, the absolute groundlessness of the Assumption into heaven .

Suddenly the youngest of the children, Gianfranco, disappeared to find the ball. Bruno, hearing the news from the other children, went in search of the child. After some time spent in fruitless searches, the three found the youngest one who, kneeling in front of a cave, remained ecstatic and exclaimed in a low voice: "Beautiful Lady!". Then Gianfranco called the other two brothers, who, as soon as they approached him, also fell to their knees, saying in a low voice: "Beautiful Lady".

Meanwhile Bruno continued to call his children who did not react in any way because they were in a "trance" state, fixed on something that he could not see. At the sight of the children in those conditions, the man, annoyed and amazed, crossed the threshold of the cave and entered the interior in search of something he could not see. On leaving and passing in front of his boys in trance he spontaneously exclaimed: "God save us!". As soon as he said those words he immediately saw two hands rise from the darkness which, emitting rays full of light, were directed towards him, until they touched his face. At the same time the man had the sensation that that hand was tearing something before his eyes. Then he felt pain and closed his eyes. When you open them again, he saw a radiant light illuminate more and more and in it he had the impression of distinguishing the figure of the "beautiful Lady", in all its dazzling celestial beauty. Such an ancestral beauty left the inveterate enemy of Catholicism and especially of the Marian cult full of amazement and profound respect. Bruno, in the face of this heavenly apparition, felt immersed in a sweet joy as never before had his soul known.

In the stupendous apparition the Mother of God wore a radiant white tunic, held around her hips by a pink belt and a green veil on her head which went down to the ground leaving her black hair loose. The Mother of the Redeemer rested her bare feet on a tuff rock. In his right hand he held a small gray book which he clutched to his chest with his left hand. While the man was so absorbed in that contemplation he heard a voice rise in the air: «I am the Virgin of Revelation. You persecute me. Now stop! Enter the holy fold. The promised God is, and remains unchangeable: the nine Fridays of the Holy Heart, which you celebrated, driven by the love of your faithful wife before you definitively took the path of error, saved you ».

On hearing these words Bruno had the sensation that his spirit had hovered and he was immersed in unspeakable joy. While it remained in that state, a sweet, tenuous and indescribable perfume arose around it, full of mystery and purification that transformed the cave into a charming and heavenly cave, the excrements and the garbage seemed to disappear and be covered forever by that wonderful scented scent. Before saying goodbye Maria SS. he instructed Bruno for a long time, left a message for the pope and finally pronounced these words again: «I wish to leave you proof that this apparition comes directly from God, so you can have no doubt and exclude that it comes from the enemy of Hell . This is the sign: as soon as you meet a priest on the street or in church, address these words to him: "Father, I must speak to you!". If that replies: "Hail Mary, my son, what do you want?" Then ask him to listen to you because you have been chosen by me. You can manifest to him what is in your heart so that he can recommend you and introduce you to another priest: that will be the right priest for your case! Then you will be admitted by the Holy Father, the Supreme Pontiff of Christians, and you will transmit my message to him. A person whom I will show you will introduce you to him. Many, to whom you will tell this story, will not believe you, but do not let yourself be influenced ». Finally the marvelous Lady turned and walked away among the rocks in the direction of San Pietro. The man could only see his cloak. Maria SS. he had shown Cornacchiola that the book in his hand was a Bible! She wanted to show him that she was here really as she was represented in the Bible: Virgin, Immaculate and Assumed into Heaven!

Recovering from the mystical event, the father with his three children silently made the way back; before returning home they stopped in the church of Tre Fontane where Bruno learned from Isola, his daughter, the Ave Maria that he no longer remembered. When he began to recite the prayer he felt moved by a deep emotion and repentance; she cried and prayed for a long time. On leaving the church, he bought chocolate for his children and told them warmly not to tell anyone that story. The boys, however, arrived home, they could not refrain from telling the story to the mother. Bruno's wife had immediately recognized the change in her husband and had smelled the wonderful smell emanating from her husband and children; she internally forgave Bruno for all that he had suffered in previous years.