On September 8, in San Lorenzo in the valley of the Viterbo countryside, the rite of passage of the Madonna di Torano takes place. A legend that is very much felt in the area and a mystical place.

It is located about 2 kilometers from the town and an asphalt road leads us to end up in the square where the church stands. The territory is rich in archaeological evidence, including several Etruscan necropolis. Just above one of these hills there was an important temple dedicated to the Etruscan goddess Turan that corresponds to the Greek Athens or the Roman Minerva. 

Exactly on this ancient sacred site, many centuries after it was abandoned, remained the ruins of the ancient temple and just on that area there was built a church. It is interesting to know the history of this place, its ancient cult and the activities directed to them.

Legend has it that there was a bull that started swimming from the beach of Capodimonte, crossed the lake of Bolsena and then arrived in Prati Renari (beach of San Lorenzo Nuovo), from that point went up the hills and then stopped where today stands the church of Torano. The bull knelt in front of the ruins of a building surrounded by brambles and weeds. A local farmer, having seen the scene several times, intrigued, went where the bull knelt, removed all the brambles and weeds and found a painting of Our Lady of Pompeii. Not believing his eyes from the amazement and happiness he ran down to the village (San Lorenzino alle Grotte, called Old Town) and told everything to the parish priest. They decided to build on the Etruscan ruins a new church dedicated to the Madonna of Torano.

This is in synthesis the legend, but it contains in itself some reflections. The story handed down orally for several centuries even before the construction of the church, shows us an interesting alignment of churches along the path of the bull then narrated by the legend.

From the church of the Madonna di Torano, drawing a straight line towards the promontory of Capodimonte, up to the church of the Madonna del Monte di Marta, an alignment of five churches is created: Madonna di Torano (San Lorenzo Nuovo); S. Ippolito (San Lorenzo Nuovo destroyed in the 13^th century); Isola Bisentina (church of San Giovanni Battista destroyed in the 15^th century); S. Maria Assunta in cielo (Capodimonte, today no longer there); Madonna del Monte (Marta).

This route was linked to an ancient pagan cult related to fertility.

Madonna del Monte is famous for the ceremony or festival of Barabbata, an ancient rite of thanksgiving to the goddess of fertility which we will talk about in May, as it is a beautiful and moving feast. The Madonna of Torano instead is linked to the rite of fertility of women, the rite of passage or initiation.

Surely it is not a unique example, as it is similar to the one that takes place at Posta in Bacugno, province of Rieti, a ceremony that recalls an ancient rite: the kneeling of the bull in front of the goddess Vacuna (goddess of fertility of the earth) that the Christian rite repeats in front of the Madonna della Neve. 

The other ritual takes place in Gerace at the Sanctuary of the Madonna di Polsi (Aspromonte-Calabria) where it is told about a shepherd who had lost a bull that he found kneeling in front of a cross. In those places today there is a church. In the latter case, the cross is still preserved inside the church and dates back to the 11^th century and tradition allows cattle to enter this place of worship in memory of the bull that knelt. Finally, in the province of Pescara, in Loreto Aprutino, the bull kneels at the passage of the relics of San Zopito, as a sign of reverence. The curiosity is that the ox kneels in front of the churchyard and takes the blessing of the parish priest and the legend says that depending on how much dung the ox leaves in the church you will know if the harvest will be propitious or not.

The feast of Our Lady of Torano takes place on the 8^th day of September each year, the nativity of Mary. The Etruscan goddess "Turan", which translated means "Lady", was the goddess of fertility, love and beauty.

Three girls, drawn by lot, that particular day will be called "The Ladies of Torano" and parade dressed as brides in honor of the Mother of Fertility. In addition to the white dress typical of the wedding day, the girls parade in procession each with large candles which symbolize the eternal light of our Lord Jesus, as St. John said: "God is light, in him there is no darkness". Talking about the meaning of the candle, we cannot forget the phrase of Albert Einstein "light is the shadow of God.” So the big candles brought in processions, represent the symbol of eternal light.