Basilica of Our Lady of Humility

Interior of the basilica.
Madonna of humility altar

The Basilica of Our Lady of Humility is a Roman Catholic Marian basilica in Pistoia, Tuscany, Italy.

History

A miracle attributed to the fresco of the Madonna of humility painted in about 1370 gave rise to the construction of the basilica. The fresco is sometimes attributed to Bartolomeo Cristiani, but was perhaps due to a local painter from Pistoia.[1] The basilica, built to designs by architect Ventura Vitoni, is an important example of Early Renaissance architecture. Giorgio Vasari built the octagonal dome atop the basilica in 1562. The original fresco remains within the basilica.[2]

According to legend, on July 17, 1490, in the midst of the infighting between local power factions, some people saw blood dripping from the forehead of the Madonna fresco, which was interpreted as a sign that the Virgin Mary suffered from the bloodshed in the region. The miracle was confirmed by Bishop Niccolò Pandolfini, and the important families of Pistoia decided to build the sanctuary to honor the Madonna.

See also

References

  1. ↑ Millard Meiss, Painting in Florence and Siena after the Black Death 1979 ISBN 0-691-00312-2 pages 136f
  2. ↑ David Bershad, Carolina Mangone, Irving Hexham, The Christian Travelers Guide to Italy 2001 ISBN 0-310-22573-6 page

External links

Coordinates: 43°55′58″N 10°54′51″E / 43.93278°N 10.91417°E / 43.93278; 10.91417

This article is issued from Wikipedia - version of the 10/21/2016. The text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution/Share Alike but additional terms may apply for the media files.