Saturday, January 9, 2016

Madonna della Corona, Spiazzi, Italy

"The Shrine of the Corona is a place of silence and meditation, extended between heaven and earth, hidden in the heart of the Baldo rocks." 

When I came across this description of Madonna della Corona how could I resist?  A church built into the side of a mountain was definitely a place I wanted to see. Madonna della Corona in Spiazzi took top spot of my list of must see while on our trip to Italy.

Sculpture - Modonna della Corona 

(Madonna's Crown)

According to the brochure in 1522 a sculpture of Mary cradling the crucified body of Jesus was transported by angelic intervention from the island of Rhodes. Legend says that a bright light shown on the mountain and when locals investigated they discovered the sculpture of the Madonna. The sculpture was considered sacred and a small chapel was built on the site to honor this miraculous feat.


The Madonna della Corona viewed from the back of the sanctuary.


 A close-up of the Madonna ensconced in the rock wall above the altar. The sculpture is surrounded by a crown of thorns and five angelic groups by the Veronese architect Raffaele Bonente.



Lace up and Walk
Another view inside the sanctuary. The bare walls of the mountain become the walls of the sanctuary. 

Madonna della Corona Today



The church has come a long way from the original tiny chapel.  The original church was demolished and rebuilt many times over the years resulting in the current church that was completed in 1978.

The buildings sit on a natural stone shelf or ledge. Building materials were lowered from the top of the mountain down to the building site. Even with modern equipment I'm sure this was quite a feat! 

You really need to see this place in person to get the full effect. It's amazing!

 Another view of the church and the surrounding mountains and valley. 





Stairs to the church






The view from the front of the church looking out over the valley. It was a beautiful scene as we watched the clouds roll in. 


The Madonna della Corona was honored with a visit from Pope John Paul II in 1988.


I was so happy after our visit to the church. It is a beautiful, peaceful place and well worth the seemingly endless stairs we walked to get to and from this place! I wasn't disappointed.

I'm glad we laced up and took a walk somewhere between earth and heaven!




Santuario Madonna della Corona
Località Santuario, 1
37020 – Ferrara di Monte Bardo
Verona, Italy
Phone and Fax (+39) 045 7220014
Rector Don Pietro Maroldi
info@madonnadellacorona.it
How to get there
By car: From the A4 Milan-Venice, exit Peschiera del Garda and continue towards Spiazzi (km 38); or from the A22 Brennero-Modena, exit at Affi, Spiazzi direction (20 km). By train: the station of Peschiera del Garda or Verona Porta Nuova, take the bus, line Spiazzi Caprino. 





Our World Tuesday Graphic

24 comments:

  1. WOW! This is unbelievable. How did they build this?

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    1. From what I understand the church sits on a natural rock shelf. The materials were lowered from the top of the mountain down by ropes and pulleys. I can't imagine it was an easy job and not one for anyone scared of heights!

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  2. that is amazing. i wonder how many stairs to the top? oh yeah, that is cool, i was born in 1978. May. that is neat-o!! i am totally in love with this beauty. so many. i would love to see it in person. maybe one day. i love the clouds coming off that mountain that is just too gorgeous!! i am so so sold on this one. thanks for sharing. you made my night. i had a sad beginning to the evening. thanks for turning my frown upside down. thanks!! ( :

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    1. Oh Beth I'm glad you enjoyed my posts. I loved this place and would go back in a heart beat!

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    2. I didn't count but there were a lot of stairs! Not just up to the church but we had to get down from the parking lot! I'll have another post showing our way down and back up. It was quite a trek!

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  4. What a wonderful experience and time to ponder as well as you walked to and rom the chapel.

    Diana
    http://adifferentlenslens365.blogspot.co.nz/2016/01/st-marys.html

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    1. It was a wonderful place to walk and just get lost in thought!

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  5. I was, I saw phenomenal place.
    A beautiful relationship and great pictures.
    Greetings from Poland.
    Lucia

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    1. Thank you for visiting me! It was a beautiful place!

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  6. Hy Patty B!
    This temple is beautiful in its raw simplicity.
    Regards:)
    voyager

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  7. Absolutely amazing! What a wonderful setting!

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  8. Amazing place but I'll never understand why they build them in such places

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    1. It was amazing. Not sure about that either! Although it's fairly easy to get to now I can't imagine how anyone got to the place when it was first built.

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  9. Beautiful photos of a very remarkable church! Italy has the most amazing churches. My husband's little southern Calabrian town had 13 churches--all magnificent!

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    1. Thank you for the nice complement! We loved Italy and we visited so many churches (one of my passions) that I can't keep them all straight! We hope to visit Italy again, there's so much we didn't get to see on this trip.

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  10. wow, beautiful. such a precious information. I looked it up on the map immediately. target for one of the future Italy trips.

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    1. I think you'd really enjoy this place. We went in Nov and we were just about the only people there. So peaceful and beautiful.

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  11. Absolutely stunning, both the place and the photos!

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  12. Thanks for taking the journey and sharing so that those that can't can enjoy it. What a marvel to behold.

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