Sentenced to death but ... saved by angels ...
The sanctuary of the Beata Maria Vergine delle Grazie is a church of Lombard Gothic style located in the small village of Curtatone (Mantua - Italy).
Toward the end of the XIV century, the plague struck the city of Mantua and claimed thousands of victims.
The Virgin Mary invoked by the population miraculously stopped the lethal epidemic. Therefore the city ruler Francesco Gonzaga erected the shrine to the Madonna "per grazia ricevuta", for grace received.
Built on a large square, the basilica overlooks the marshy waters of the lakes that surround Mantova, creating an evocative atmosphere for the numerous groups of tourists and faithful devotees of the Madonna.
Eighty niches arranged on two parallel rows, housed statues-mannequins in various poses and situations representing episodes of escaped danger by intercession of the Virgin.
Central to the history and life of the Sanctuary is the Solemnity of the Assumption, August 15th. From the early morning the streets of the village are invaded by a multitude of pilgrims, and later by the visitors of a traditional trade fair, which has reached an international fame for over thirty years thanks to the presence of the "Madonnari" who with their coloured chalks change the square pavement into a phantasmagorical carpet, reproducting famous paintings of sacred subject.
Sentenced to death but ... saved by angels ...
The sanctuary of the Beata Maria Vergine delle Grazie is a church of Lombard Gothic style located in the small village of Curtatone (Mantua - Italy).
Toward the end of the XIV century, the plague struck the city of Mantua and claimed thousands of victims.
The Virgin Mary invoked by the population miraculously stopped the lethal epidemic. Therefore the city ruler Francesco Gonzaga erected the shrine to the Madonna "per grazia ricevuta", for grace received.
Built on a large square, the basilica overlooks the marshy waters of the lakes that surround Mantova, creating an evocative atmosphere for the numerous groups of tourists and faithful devotees of the Madonna.
Eighty niches arranged on two parallel rows, housed statues-mannequins in various poses and situations representing episodes of escaped danger by intercession of the Virgin.
Central to the history and life of the Sanctuary is the Solemnity of the Assumption, August 15th. From the early morning the streets of the village are invaded by a multitude of pilgrims, and later by the visitors of a traditional trade fair, which has reached an international fame for over thirty years thanks to the presence of the "Madonnari" who with their coloured chalks change the square pavement into a phantasmagorical carpet, reproducting famous paintings of sacred subject.