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St. Michael’s Holy Cave
There is a large limestone cave in Gargano, Italy, that was a site of pagan worship in Greek and Roman times. The story of how the cave was transformed into a church dedicated to St. Michael is partially told in a collection of stories called the Liber de apparitione Sancti Michaelis in Monte Gargano, which first appeared in the ninth century. It is also recorded in the Acta Sanctorum by the Bollandists, a Jesuit organization that has studied the lives of the saints since the mid-1600s. Additionally, in the Middle Ages, a very popular collection of stories about many saints, called The Golden Legend, was written. It included the stories about Michael from Gargano as well as his appearances in other places.
Likely around 490, a wealthy noble named Elvio Emanuele was searching for a bull that had wandered from his herd on the slopes of the mountain. He found it stuck in the entrance to a cave. Angry at the bull for being unmanageable, he tried to have it shot with an arrow by a servant, but somehow the arrow came back and struck the archer himself. (In another version of the story, Elvio shot the arrow himself.) The noble went to Bishop Maiorano of Sipontum — who was later canonized and is now known as St. Lorenzo Maiorano — and recounted the strange events. The bishop, sensing something supernatural was afoot, ordered three days of prayer and penance.
Continued below.
https://catholicexchange.com/the-intercession-of-saint-michael-in-christian-history
There is a large limestone cave in Gargano, Italy, that was a site of pagan worship in Greek and Roman times. The story of how the cave was transformed into a church dedicated to St. Michael is partially told in a collection of stories called the Liber de apparitione Sancti Michaelis in Monte Gargano, which first appeared in the ninth century. It is also recorded in the Acta Sanctorum by the Bollandists, a Jesuit organization that has studied the lives of the saints since the mid-1600s. Additionally, in the Middle Ages, a very popular collection of stories about many saints, called The Golden Legend, was written. It included the stories about Michael from Gargano as well as his appearances in other places.
Likely around 490, a wealthy noble named Elvio Emanuele was searching for a bull that had wandered from his herd on the slopes of the mountain. He found it stuck in the entrance to a cave. Angry at the bull for being unmanageable, he tried to have it shot with an arrow by a servant, but somehow the arrow came back and struck the archer himself. (In another version of the story, Elvio shot the arrow himself.) The noble went to Bishop Maiorano of Sipontum — who was later canonized and is now known as St. Lorenzo Maiorano — and recounted the strange events. The bishop, sensing something supernatural was afoot, ordered three days of prayer and penance.
Continued below.
https://catholicexchange.com/the-intercession-of-saint-michael-in-christian-history
