Statue of the Blessed Virgin Mary

The statue of the Blessed Virgin Mary which is located next to the Hickey Dining Hall has a long history here at St. Bonaventure University; it has been on campus since 1887.  The five foot, ten inch tall statue arrived from Italy on August 6, 1887. It was unveiled and blessed during the feast of The Transfiguration of Our Lord Jesus Christ.  Originally the statue resided in a niche which was located above the entrance of the former Chapel/Monastery which was the original building complex on campus.  While most of the building was destroyed by fire in 1930, the statue miraculously survived and was taken down from its niche. 

 When construction begun on new campus buildings the statue was moved to its current location and a pedestal was constructed for it using stones from its former home.  On the pedestal are two quotations from the old testament surrounding a picture of the burned building. They read "The ground on which you stand is hallowed land", above the picture, and "The Lord Gave 1855.  The Lord Took Away 1930.  Blessed be the name of Lord", below the picture.  

At one point the statue had colors, but, after major repair work, was painted white.

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Kulakowski, Edmund A.  "Shrines of St. Bonaventure, Statue of Blessed Virgin Mary" Vox Regis March 1962: 8
"Account of the Statue of The Blessed Virgin Mary" St. Bonaventure 27 September 1887