Everybody Should Pray their Parto

UPDATE: Thanks for the prayers! The baby came!

Please pray for my suffering wife. She's now 9 days overdue. Please invoke the intercession of the Madonna del Parto. (Madonna of the Delivery). For more on the painting and the Madonna del Parto, see HERE


Additionally, there's the Madonna del Parto at the church of San Agostino in Rome, by Jacopo Sansovino: one of my favorite Renaissance Italian architects. Palladio even wrote in his Quatro Libri that Sansovino had erected the best building since antiquity-- with the exception of Palladio's own works. Until today, when a friend told me he did this version of the Madonna del Parto, I didn't even know he was responsible for such great sculpture as well. Although, in this case, the Christ child is already on the outside, so we could jokingly name it Madonna del Postparto.

Anyways, this statue is venerated by Romans who are having children. Nowadays, this means the 6 or 7 Italian women who actually have children per year. At any rate, if you want to get pregnant, have a healthy pregnancy, healthy baby, or a quick and painless delivery, you pray in front of this statue and leave behind a memento. Not surprisingly, this statue has been surrounded by hundreds of little baby booties over the years. You can see them to the right of the statue above. So, It's the quick and painless delivery that I'd like to ask for you to pray for at this time.

For those outside of Rome, a visit to the church of Madonna del Parto may be in order. This little church was built in the remnants of an Etruscan tomb in Sutri, about 30 miles from the eternal city.

So if you can, please go to the Etruscan tomb and pray to His trusted womb so my wife's thrusts can bloom.