Sanctuary of Madonna del Sasso

Madonna del Sasso - the most famous pilgrimage church in Italian-speaking Switzerland was built around 1485 on the occasion of the Franciscan brother Frá Bartolomeo. He had an apparition of Our Lady at this place high above Lake Maggiore and wanted to build a place of worship at the same place. In addition, further chapels and a Church of the Annunciation were built further below. From this Church of the Annunciation a Way of the Cross leads up the Via Crucis with 2 Way of the Cross chapels to the Madonna del Sasso.

Sanctuary of the Madonna del Sasso
At the end of the 16th century, the pilgrimage site experienced a decline. After structural changes and the constant increase in signs of veneration, Madonna del Sasso experienced its greatest heyday at the end of the 17th century. The decreasing number of monks, their poverty and the decay of the buildings led to a serious crisis at the end of the 18th and beginning of the 19th centuries. In 1848 the cantonal authorities closed the monastery and confiscated its goods. They quartered a few Capuchins, to whom they entrusted administration in 1852. Under their supervision, large extensions were built around 1890, whereby the old structure was also changed. Further structural changes occurred in 1912, 1920-1924 and 1974-1980. The number of friars (8 in 2006) grew again, and the place became more important as a destination for pilgrimages beyond the canton's borders. In 1919 the church was given the title of a minor basilica, and in 1949 a major celebration took place in honor of the Pilgrim Madonna. Important works of art are kept in Madonna del Sasso, such as Bramantino's "Flight into Egypt" from around 1520 and Antonio Ciseri's "Entombment of Christ" from 1864-1870. Madonna del Sasso also includes a museum with numerous votive paintings, a rich library with old works and an archive.
Text / Source: Historical Lexicon of Switzerland (HLS)
hls-dhs-dss.ch/de/articles/012239/2008-08-28

The Holy Mountain of Madonna del Sasso
A cultural heritage of inestimable value
More information at:
madonnadelsasso.org/madonnadelsasso/home.html;jsessionid=71D7BD5CC7AFF464BE0E023A73F422EF