SHARRYLAND
Shrine of the Blessed Virgin of Miracles
In Saronno, "a stop on the road to beauty"
Where is
What it is and where it is
Overlooking an airy little square in the heart of Saronno is the Shrine of the Virgin of Miracles, flanked by one of the most beautiful bell towers in Lombardy. Pellegrini's facade, with the pensive telamons on either side of the portal, with its friezes, balustrades and statues, is majestic and solemn. But it is the interior that overwhelms us with the beauty of the 16th-century frescoes. The best artists of the time were called in to decorate them, starting with Bernardino Luini.
Why it's special
On the walls, the frescoes by Bernardino Luini (1482-1532) are true narratives. We are struck by the expressive, "real" faces and intense gazes of the many characters who populate them, the brightly colored headdresses and robes, the rich draperies and graceful movements. And we are enchanted by the worlds in which they move, minutely described with skillful use of perspective and light.
Not to be missed
When we look up, there's the dome, which gives vertigo with its swirling gyrations and hosts of musician and singing angels. There are no fewer than 57 of them, each with a different instrument. One almost seems to hear hymns rising for the glory of God in this magnificent depiction of paradise by Gaudenzio Ferrari. Two sculptures adorn the dome: the Virgin assumed into heaven and a God the Father waiting for her among angelic choirs. But other treasures are hidden in the chapels, including a scenic "3-D" Last Supper from 1531, a wooden sculptural group by Andrea da Milano, who wanted to emulate Leonardo's most famous work.
Trivia
The birth of the shrine is linked to a miracle. Around 1460 a young man named Pedretto, bedridden by a serious illness, was healed by Our Lady of the Varesina Road. It was Our Lady herself who asked him to erect a church in her honor, and he set to work at a good pace. But the "little church" he built collapsed three times. Then the whole village worked to help Pedretto worthily fulfill his promise, and on May 8, 1498, the foundation stone was laid.
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