History
 All started in the city of Florence in the twelfth century that was a period of
great religious ferment. An ancient document called “Legenda de Origin ordini”
narrates us many important things.
They were Seven
"Our Lady wanted to give origin to her Order with seven men to show to
everybody, with absolute clarity, that she wanted to adorn her Order, endowing
it with the seven gifts of the Holy Spirit" (cf. L.O.15).
“These same seven men founded the community of Monte Senario. After a few
centuries, people called these holy men “Our Lady chose to begin with a group of
seven. they were: Bonfiglio, Amadio, Buonagiunta, Manetto, Sostegno, Uguccione
and Alessio. It was to convince everyone that she wished her Order endowed in a
special way with the gifts of the Holy Spirit. It was to make clear that down
through the ages she would keep it alive, as one generation followed another
each with a number of men rich in these seven gifts of the spirit. Some of them
decided to observe virginity or chastity for life and so remained unmarried;
others were already were already married and the rest were widowers.” (cf. L.O.
16).
The Seven Holy Fathers at Mount
Senario
On the 12th of June1241, Giuliano from Bivigliano, who belonged
to the family of the Ubaldinis, donated the third part of a certain forest
situated on the Mount Asinario in order "to save his soul".
The name of the Mountain
In the thirteenth and fourteenth centuries, this mountain was called in
various ways. “This mountain was called Sonario. This name comes from the
sonorous effect of the wind through some of its caves. At first it was calles
Monte Sonaio, although th eword was soon corrupted by many of the local people
into Asinario. It was this mountain that God inspired our fathers to seek” (L.O.
41). Around 1245, the Seven first Fathers went up the mountain in order to get
away from the political struggles and other distractions of secular life, under
the guidance of Bishop Ardingo († 1247).
A delightful level area on the top of
the hill surrounded by a grove of trees
By the grace of God, the Seven holy Fathers found Mount Senario with the
help of bishop Ardingo. "This mountain is higher than the others around it and
so even from far off they saw it as the mountain intended for them by God. When
they went up to inspect it, they found at the top a delightful though small
level area, a spring of very fine water off to one side and a surrounding grove
of trees so well-arranged that it might have been planted by hand (L.O. 41).
This description points out an ecological sensibility. In fact, the Seven
fathers and their successors in the history, had a great love for the nature.
“They went up the mountain and at the top immediately constructed a small
house suitable to live in. Abandoning the house they had previously had in
Florence, they moved up to the mountain to live there together.”(L.O. 41).
The mountain of virtues
Such place was worthwhile to the Seven Holy
Fathers:
"It was very appropriate, this Monte Soanio, as God’s choice of dwelling
place for our first fathers. The place itself matched their spiritual ascent and
the name the sound they effected. First, the place was a reflection of their own
spiritual ascent. In the beginning they had been in the valley of tears; there
they were cleansed through contrition, made clean and fit for the ascent. In
this valley they prepared their hearts to move up higher. After their
conversion, they came up to the plain of good morals, where the anointing of the
Holy Spirit taught them everything they needed to know. They became men of
meekness and walked this plain, this house of God, in integrity of heart. They
then came to reside in the hills of virtue, where they ate and were refreshed by
all kinds of spiritual food. Filled in this way with heavenly gifts, they could
say, “Though an army encamp against me, my heart will not fear” [Psalm
26(27).3]. And now, finally, it was fitting that they ascend the mountain to
stand watch in contemplation. There they would be enlightened,
filled with the
spirit of wisdom and understanding and surrounded by the sweet odor of heaven’s joy.”(L.O. 42).
As nobody had ever lived in the thick forest around the mountain, they
faced
many difficulties in climbing up the mountain. Climbing up the mountain, even
though they were carrying with them the burden of their own weaknesses and the
memories of their past life, they trusted in the Lord, remembering the word of
God: “Come to me, all you who labour and are overburdened, and I will give you
rest. Shoulder my yoke and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart,
and you will find rest for your souls. Yes, my yoke is easy and my burden light”
(Mt. 11:28-30). Having abandoned everything, offering themselves to do the will
of God, they enjoyed the fruits of God’s gifts. And thus Monte Senario was
indeed a mountain of virtues.
From the mountain in the cities...
After a certain period, they felt that Monte Senario was not large enough to
accept the new comers who wanted to live with them. So they were constrained to
acquire other places as residences suitable for their penitential way of life. 
"Our fathers were undoubtedly of the opinion that, out of reverence for God
who had prepared it for them in the first place, Monte Senario should never be
abandoned, either by themselves or by the friars who were to come later to our
Order. Yet at the same time they could see that the place would never be large
enough for themselves and the friars they had already accepted into the
community; not to speak of the others they intended to take in later. Thus they
were constrained to acquire other places as residences for themselves and the
brothers present and future. This also entailed that they had to take up
apostolic ministry” (L.O. 49)
In the year 1250, they went down again from Monte Senario to the city of
Florence. There they became poor for the sake of Christ and they were not
ashamed to stretch out their hands to ask for alms. Jesus said, “I must proclaim
the good news of the kingdom of God to the other towns too. Because that is what
I was sent to do" (Lk. 4: 43). So, they started to disperse themselves in the
province of Tuscany (Siena, Città di Castello, Borgo San Sepolchro, etc.),
founding later on new convents all over Italy, preaching the Gospel not only by
words but also by their way of life. They announced the Word of God by living
out fraternity, service and special devotion to out Lady.
The rests of seven holy fathers
The rests of the seven fathers, collected again on the Monte Senario. In the
year 1600 during the renovation of the Church, some documents to support the
evidences of the presence of the seven fathers were found. The rests of the
seven fathers were put in an urn of gilded bronze and they are still preserved
in Monte Senario.
Stories of the Senario
From time to time, wars, earthquakes and epidemics endangered the life of
Monte Senario but the loving providence of God has saved our friars so that they
could continue their life in this sacred place. The friars who were already in
good number were almost always engaged themselves in prayer and
work. Thus the
life-style of the friars continued in the following centuries. In the sixteenth
century, wars and natural calamities severely struck the life over there. But in
the year 1593, with the help of the Physicians, the religious life blossomed
again with such vigor that the Senario became once more a symbol of spiritual
resumption for the whole Order. The fame of the holiness of the friars spread in
various places (as in Austria). And they opened new priories. It is said that
the Pope, asked by Granduca in Tuscany, sent St. Giovanni Leonardi († 1609) to
Monte Senario as a visitor and after visiting the St. Giovanni Leonardi reported
to the Pope that Monte
Senario was a place of holiness the friars living there
were great example for the whole Church. The church of Mountain Senario damaged
by natural disasters underwent many restorations. On the 21st of
September 1621 the church was dedicated to the Virgin Mary of Assumption; On the
4th of April 1717 the Church was consecrated and
devoted to Phillip Benizi and to the Virgin Mary of sorrows. By now the Church of Monte Senario had
reached the actual dimensions of today. In the period of the Napoleon, the
priory was suppressed (1808);
Valuable arts and precious books were removed. In
the year 1866 the suppression of the religious Orders by the Italian Government
again paralyzed the life of the priory. Monte Senario began to recover its
normal life in 1870. A few after this rebirth, the seven first fathers were
proclaimed saints in 1888. From then on the Priory at Monte Senario began to
flourish again with a new life. On the 15th of 1918 the Pope Benedict XV
announced the church of Monte Senario as a Minor Basilica.
A "Spirituality Center" for the
Servite Family
The recent developments of the history, the new road of access opened in
1964, the necessary return to the original Charism of the Order as recommended
in the documents of post-conciliar revision of the Constitutions (1965-1987),
the various anniversaries, 750th anniversary of the foundation of
the Order (1233-1983), and the first centennial of the canonization of the seven
first fathers (1888-1988), have increased a special interest towards Monte
Senario, not only among the friars, but also among the secular servites, the
friends and various members of the servite family present in five continents.
On the 19th of June 1989, Fr. Pietro M. Papini, then prior
provincial of the Province of Tuscany, requested the General Chapter(1989) to
make it one among the priories that are under the jurisdiction of Prior
General and also to make it international so that its role as a spirituality
center may be paid more attention. The general Chapter of 1989 accepted this
request and reaffirmed that Monte Senario as the cradle of the Order is a
privileged place that enriches the spiritual life of the whole Order.
For the Servants of Mary, Monte Senario remains even today a center of
monastic life where the friars strive to witness the evangelical values in their
life of fraternity, contemplative prayer and work
“Every friar Servant of Mary considers Monte Senario a holy place and looks on
it as the birth place and spiritual home of the Order. The basilica, containing
the memory of the origins of the Order and the bodies of the Seven Founders,
demonstrates to all Servites what kind of life their should be; austere and
penitent, illustrious and prayerful, hospitable and fraternal, hidden in God and
solicitous of the needs of others. The basilica of Monte Senario and all the
churches dedicated to Saint Mary in the Order, remind Servites, by symbols and
images, of a number of things: first of all, that they dedicated to serve the
Mother of Christ and that their life and apostolic activity are placed under the
patronage of our Lady; that all servite churches should witness to the devotion
of the Church and the Order toward the Mother of God; finally, that Servites
should make of themselves a holy temple of God just as the Virgin Mary, in
accepting the Word of the Lord in her immaculate heart and virginal womb, was
made the exalted dwelling place of God.” (Liturgy of the Hours OSM, Dedication
of the Basilica of Monte Senario, Office of the Readings, second letter).
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MONTE SENARIO