Vicoforte
Vicoforte is a commune in the Province of Cuneo in Italy. it is located above 598 meters above sea level and is 32 km from Cuneo and 6 km from Mondovì.
It is known mainly for the Basilica-Sanctuary Regina Montis Regalis built between 1596 and 1733 by the religious population of the area to honour the Virgin Mary.
The Basilica of Vicoforte
The Bishop of Mondovì Castrucci and Carlo Emanuele I sponsored the building with the intent of celebrating the Holy Mary and make it the mausoleum for the House of Savoy (the tomb was later built elsewhere only Carlo Emanuele I is buried here). Author of the project and of the lower part, neoclassic and built in sandstone, is the architect Ascanio Vitozzi (1539-1615) from Orvieto. The construction of the upper part, baroque and built in brick (cotto), was directed by Francesco Gallo (1672-1750), an architect from Mondovì and is considered his masterpiece. The construction of an elliptical (or oval) dome was a technically challenging task for the time and the Vitozzi's project seemed not feasible so the construction was halted between 1600 and 1701.
The legend tells that on the place of the basilica at the end of the XV century a simple and rustical column was built by an humble worker and decorated by an anonymous painter with a painting of the Holy Mary and her son known as the Pilone della Madonna where the people of Vicoforte used to prey.
In 1592 a hunter accidentally shot the painting and allegedly it bled from the wound, later the Virgin Mary allegedly appeared to the first pilgrims and since then the popular belief attributed to the painting miracolous properties, healings and conversions of heretics. The word spread quickly, from mouth to mouth, on hand written or printed papers (avvisi), and in a few years pilgrims from all over Europe came to visit the miracolous painting. The Bishop of Mondovì moved by the view of so many pilgrims (more than 10.000 on some days) on 1596 published the result of the enquiries on 240 allegedly miracolous facts and with the approval of pope Clement VIII announced the decision to build a temple to honour the Virgin Mary around the column.
Various architects presented their projects and the Duke Carlo Emanuele I of Savoy during his visit in 1596 choose an elliptical design with four chapels in the corners to be used in his intentions as a mausoleum for the House of Savoy. Vittozzi’s Sanctuary was designed to be large enough to accommodate in its central part a chapel previously built around the column, that was preserved until 1725 and used for liturgical functions until the completion of the new building. The Sanctuary eventually became one of the most admired and visited marian centers to this days.
The arquebuse used by the hunter is conserved in the museum and the shot can be seen as a white round sign under the left hand of the Virgin Mary.
It features the fourth biggest dome in the world and by far the biggest elliptical dome:
- major axis m. 37,15;
- minor axis m. 24,80;
- height m. 75;
- perimeter m. 250.
It is decorated with mq 6032 of paintings with a single theme the Holy Mary reprenting three Italian painting schools: "Veneta" (Mattia Bortoloni), "Bolognese", " Milanese".
St. Francis of Sales visited the basilica in 1604 and a chapel inside the temple is dedicated to him.
In 1812 the temple was depredated by the French troops.
Links
Official web site of the municipality of Vicoforte
Technical paper about the dome