The nave of the medieval Sanctuary of of the Blessed Virgin Mary of Grace overlooking Lake Superior near Mantua.
Image details
Contributor:
Paolo Perina / Alamy Stock PhotoImage ID:
2N1Y3GYFile size:
34.3 MB (2.7 MB Compressed download)Releases:
Model - no | Property - noDo I need a release?Dimensions:
2998 x 4000 px | 25.4 x 33.9 cm | 10 x 13.3 inches | 300dpiDate taken:
26 July 2022Location:
Sanctuary of the Blessed Virgin Mary of Grace, Municipality of Curtatone, Mantua, Lombardy, Italy.More information:
The sanctuary of the Blessed Virgin Mary of Grace, which characterizes the ancient and picturesque village of Grazie di Curtatone, stands on the right bank of the Mincio, right where the river widens to become Lake Superior. For centuries a destination for pilgrimages, it was erected where there was a newsstand depicting the image of the Madonna. In fact, since 1388 there has been news of a place of prayer in the Prato Lamberto area, on the shores of Lake Superior, then inhabited by fishermen, where the Marian cult had for some time gathered many faithful and was the object of assiduous devotion. The sanctuary with the adjoining convent was built between 1399 and 1406 by Francesco I Gonzaga, fourth captain of Mantua, as a vow to the Madonna, during the plague that afflicted the city in those years. Attributed to Bartolino da Novara, the church became a destination for many pilgrims. The exterior with Lombard-Gothic forms, with the severity of its gabled façade, adorned by a sixteenth-century portico with lunettes depicting the events of the construction of the sanctuary, does not allow a glimpse of the liveliness of the interior, dominated by a complex wooden deck dating back to 1517 which covers the middle part of the walls of the single nave and houses plaster and papier-mâché statues in the niches and numerous other votive offerings including a stuffed crocodile hanging from the ceiling. Over the centuries the sanctuary was enriched in furnishings and decorations. In the sanctuary, designed by Giulio Romano, is the mausoleum of Baldassarre Castiglione (1478-1529), humanist, diplomat and famous author of "The Courtier".