How to get there and what to see at the Sanctuary of the Madonna di San Luca, a pilgrimage itinerary including the main places of interest, including the portico, icon and works of art inside, including masterpieces by Guido Reni and Guercino.
How to get
Located on the top of the Guardia hill, the Sanctuary of the Blessed Virgin of San Luca, overlooks the city of Bologna and is connected to its historic center by a portico formed by 666 arches for a length of 3.75 kilometers.
The foundation of the ancient church, which housed the icon of the Blessed Virgin and Child, dates back to 25 May 1194.
The building was later replaced by the current eighteenth-century sanctuary, built between 1723 and 1774, on a project by the architect Carlo Francesco Dotti, who also took care of the construction of the Arco del Meloncello and the completion of the portico, whose construction began in 1674 on a project by Gian Giacomo Monti, and ended in 1732 under his direction.
The portico starts from Porta Saragozza and, after a first stretch on the plain, through the Arco del Meloncello goes up to the Sanctuary.
The hilly stretch is interspersed with 15 chapels of the Mysteries of the Rosary, located regularly every 20 arches.
What see
According to tradition, the icon of the Madonna and Child, which is venerated today in the Sanctuary, was painted by the evangelist San Luca and was donated by a pilgrim from the church of Constantinople to the Bolognese bishop Gerardo Gisla, who entrusted the precious image to the sisters Azzolina and Beatrice, two pious women who would have lived as hermits on the Colle della Guardia.
Art historians attest that the icon is a work of oriental origin dating back to the mid-twelfth century.
Inside the Sanctuary, which is presented in Baroque style, it is possible to admire remarkable works of art, including the Madonna del Rosario by Guido Reni, the Risen Christ who appears to his Mother del Guercino, the Coronation of the Virgin and the Virgin and Patrons of Bologna by Donato Creti.
Every year the image of the Madonna of San Luca is carried in procession, from the Sanctuary to the Cathedral of San Pietro, where it remains for a week honored with heartfelt celebrations, and then returns to the Sanctuary with a new procession.
This devotion originated in 1433, when due to incessant rains that put crops at risk, it was decided to ask the Madonna for the grace to end them, so a procession was made to bring the icon to the city.
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As soon as the procession entered Porta Saragozza, the rain stopped and, from that time every year, the icon of the Blessed Virgin of San Luca is brought down from the hill to give her blessing to the city of Bologna.
