The church was built at the beginning of the 1500's and dedicated to the mother of Christ suffering for the passion of her son. Subsequently became a lazaretto during an epidmic of plague, a hospital, an ospice for the homeless and is now a very charming building owned by the city of Palermo, where spectacles and conferences are kept
Uncontrollable deep pain? Spasm in English does not correspond to the Italian meaning. It means painful contraction, while in Italian is a terrible and long lasting pain of the soul. English speaking 365er invited to the discussion!
@caterina@domenicododaro This is an interesting one. I suppose the closest single word to portray Caterina's meaning in English might be "pang", or in this context "mournful pang" (literally a pang or ache of mourning the dead). Looking online, it would appear the phrase "Lo Spasimo della Vergine" describes a medieval concept of the "fainting" or "swooning" of the Virgin Mary, most usually ascribed to the Crucifixion, which became a popular artistic model (but was subsequently resisted by The Church). Well, now I'm pleased I've learnt something today!
