Messina, celebrations for the 150th birthday of Queen Elena.
As part of the program of commemorative events of 114th anniversary of the earthquake of December 28, 1908, sponsored by the municipal administration, the city of Messina celebrates the 150th anniversary of the birth of Queen Elena with two days of initiatives, Saturday 7th and Sunday 8th, promoted by the city delegation of the Institute of the Guard of Honor at the Royal Tombs of the Pantheon to celebrate not only the memory of Elena, as a rescuer, but also her figure as a fervent Catholic and bearer of heroic virtues which started the beatification process underway in the Archdiocese of Montpellier. The program of events, sponsored by the Sicilian Region, the Metropolitan City of Messina and that of Reggio Calabria, and the Municipality of Taormina, will start on Saturday 7th. For the occasion, Princess Helena of Hesse will be present in the city, great-grandson of Queen Elena who will meet the Mayor Federico Basile at Palazzo Zanca at 10 am; followed by the ceremony of placing a wreath of flowers in the sea at the Masotto Battery in memory of the victims of the earthquake and a tribute to the Monument "To the Heroic Russian Sailors", the population's first responders.
On Sunday 8th, from 9am to 13pm, a special cancellation will be issued by Poste Italiane to cancel the special postcard which reproduces a drawing from the time in which Queen Elena is portrayed helping the population; while on the back of the postcard the salient moments of those dramatic days of 1908 are remembered. The cancellation will be available, starting from Monday 9th, at the Post Office of Messina - philatelic counter - located in via San Giacomo 11/b for following 60 days, at the end of which it will be deposited at the Museum of Communication and Postal History in Rome. The initiatives on Sunday 8th will continue with the Eucharistic Celebration presided over by HE Mons. Cesare di Pietro, Auxiliary Bishop of Messina, with the performance of the Bersaglieri Fanfare of the Peloritani and, in the afternoon, in the presence of Princess Elena of Hesse, a press conference on “Elena of Savoy, heroic rescuer after the Messina earthquake”, moderated by the lawyer. Silvana Paratore, who will be addressed by prof. Antonio Baglio, Monsignor Cesare di Pietro, and Sister Antonella Carnazza.
Story
In the history of a city, an event often becomes the symbol of the city itself. This also happened for the Peloritan city which on 28 December 1908 became, against its will, witness to a huge tragedy. The city of the Strait was hit by a terrible earthquake and subsequent tsunami that killed 100.000 people. Among the first authorities to intervene in Sicily was Queen Elena. The Royal Family immediately activated the relief effort, led by Queen Elena who had recently created the body of Red Cross Volunteer Nurses. The Sovereign herself personally took care of the care of hundreds of wounded on board the battleship "Vittorio Emanuele", transformed for the occasion into a hospital ship. For years he paid particular attention to the many orphans of that terrible tragedy. On 5 April 1937 Pope Pius XI awarded her the Golden Rose of Christianity, underlining the Christian virtues and charity towards the suffering. Messina has never forgotten this important royal figure and in 1960 created an imposing marble statue (the only one in the world dedicated to the Sovereign) placed in Largo Seggiola.
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