Sanctuary of Nostra Signora della Brughiera
The pilgrimage church of Nostra Signora della Brughiera ( Italian Santuario di Nostra Signora della Brughiera ) is a Marian place of worship in the locality of Bulliana , two kilometers from Trivero ( province of Biella ). It is open from March 25th to the end of September.
Together with the Sanctuary of Banchette near Bioglio , the Sanctuary of Mazzucco (Camandona) and the Sanctuary of Brugarola in Ailoche , it belongs to the group of smaller pilgrimage sites in the Biella area , which are located along the hiking and pilgrimage routes of CoEUR and the Path of San Carlo are located.
It is located at an altitude of 800 m in an area rich in chestnuts and willows. The pilgrimage site was built in a place where, according to legend, the Madonna appeared to a mute shepherd girl and gave her the language.
The complex consists of two churches, the larger one, which today forms the core of the site, and a smaller and very old church from the 16th century, which was built over a church from the 14th century and where the followers are Camped by Fra Dolcino .
Inside the larger church there are some votive offerings as well as works of art: a birth of Christ by Gian Giacomo Barbelli from Crema in the center of the altar. The central nave and presbytery were painted by Pietro Lace in the 18th century; the wooden pulpit from Valsesia is now kept in the sacristy.
In the 18th century the hermit's apartment and accommodation for pilgrims were built.
The pilgrimage site is currently one of five in the province of Biella that are approved for marriage.
The charity committee Comitato Benefico Bullianese has staged a living nativity scene on the occasion of the 30th anniversary . The Nativity Trail follows the mule track that leads to the village of Bulliana with a Way of the Cross divided into fourteen stations with as many chapels , which were decorated in the 19th century by the painter Giovanni Avondo from Balmuccia (also known as Avondo di Varallo ). The decoration was refreshed in 1879 by the painter Ciancia from the Valsessera valley.
The contested pilgrimage church
The church, located in a border area, led in the past to disputes between the neighboring parishes Trivero and Mosso (at the time Mosso Santa Maria), which culminated in an armed conflict, which is reminiscent of a fresco in the larger church.
“On March 25, 1643, on the day of the Annunciation, numerous shots were fired without anyone being injured by a miracle of the Virgin Mary” : this is the inscription on the large painting inside the sanctuary that depicts the unusual and bloodless battle between the peoples of the documented in both parishes, the border of which runs by the old church of Brughiera.
A plaque in the park surrounding the sanctuary tells the story of the pilgrimage and the disputes between the two communities over ownership of the place of worship. The parishes of the two villages contested the possession of the church and on March 25, 1643, when the procession of the inhabitants of Mosso met those of the people of Trivero near the sanctuary, they went from words to deeds, i.e. . H. there was a real battle with stone throws and arquebuses . However - according to the tradition that is remembered on the tablet - the Madonna appeared in the midst of the turmoil and intercepted the bullets emerging from the guns so that no one would be harmed.
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Coordinates: 45 ° 39 ′ 31.2 " N , 8 ° 8 ′ 44.6" E