Santa Maria del Fonte basilica
The Basilica of Santa Maria del Fonte is a pilgrimage church in Caravaggio in the Lombardy province of Bergamo , Italy . The church of the Diocese of Cremona is a Marian shrine and has the rank of a minor basilica . The church, completed in the 18th century, was built on the site of an apparition of Mary from 1432 and the spring connected to it.
history
In 1432, Gianetta de'Vacchi appeared to the Virgin Mary surrounded by angels during evening prayers in the open field . This called on the residents to repent and build a chapel. As evidence, the source is said to have sprung up, which should trigger many healings. In the same year the construction of the chapel began and a small hospital was built next to it for the sick seeking healing.
The construction of the current church was started in 1575 at the instigation of Archbishop Karl Borromeo based on plans by Pellegrino Tibaldi ; the progress of construction was changeable and did not lead to completion until the beginning of the 18th century with numerous, albeit minor changes compared to Pellegrini's original project. The painting took place in the 19th century.
In April 1906 Pope Pius X elevated the church to a minor basilica. The chapel of the new spirituality center was consecrated by Pope John Paul II during his stay in the pilgrimage church in 1992.
On May 1, 2020, the Italian Bishops' Conference announced a "moment of prayer" in the basilica in the context of the Corona crisis.
Building
The monumental church stands in the middle of an extensive esplanade , which is surrounded on all four sides by symmetrical porticos , which are almost 800 meters long with 200 arches. On the triple tree-lined avenue towards Caravaggio there is a tall obelisk by Rustico Soliveri, on which various miraculous healings of the Madonna di Caravaggio are named. The spring water flows from the neighboring well under the church to a basin for the sick.
The single-nave building with transept is 93 meters long and 33 meters wide, it is 22 meters high and the crossing dome rises 64 meters with its lantern . It is characterized by a classic style with columns with Ionic capitals. The western nave is equipped with four richly decorated chapels on both sides. Under the eastern part there is a crypt behind the majestic high altar.
Furnishing
The high altar under the dome was built between 1735 and 1750 by Carlo Giuseppe Merlo in collaboration with the sculptors Nava and Mellone, the design by Filippo Juvarra was inspired by Michelangelo . The round marble structure with six columns and three statues in between carries a throne surrounded by angels wearing a star crown.
Under the high altar is the Sacro Speco ( Italian for Holy Grotto ) with a wooden group of statues depicting an apparition of Mary. The work of the St. Ulrich sculptor Leopold Moroder was inaugurated in 1932 on the occasion of the celebrations for the five hundredth anniversary of the apparition of Cardinal Alfredo Ildefonso Schuster .
The sacristy was formerly the aristocratic chapel of the Secco family and is richly furnished. On its vault there are wonderful frescoes by Camillo Procaccini, which show episodes from the life of Mary.
organ
The imposing organ case was built between 1739 and 1747 by the organ builders Carminati from Caravaggio. The organ works in parts still go back to the instrument from the 18th century, which has been revised and expanded several times over the years, most recently in 1955 by the organ building company Balbiani Vegezzi Bossi from Milan, which laid out the arrangement in the symphonic style. The instrument has over 6100 pipes.
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Web links
- Official site of the sanctuary (Italian)
- History of the sanctuary (Italian)
Individual evidence
- ↑ a b Basilica S. Maria della Fonte de Caravaggio on gcatholic.org
- ↑ a b Italy is awakening from the corona rigidity - and is now only threatened to stagger. April 21, 2020, accessed April 29, 2020 .
- ↑ Lombardia , Guida TCI, 1996, p. 53
- ↑ Information about the organ (Italian)
Coordinates: 45 ° 28 ′ 53.8 ″ N , 9 ° 37 ′ 51 ″ E