What to see at the Mariano Sanctuary of Caravaggio, historical notes relating to the apparition of the Madonna in this place and the construction of the church, miraculous water of the Fonte.
Tourist information
Located in Caravaggio in the province of Bergamo, the Sanctuary of Santa Maria del Fonte is a Catholic place of worship dedicated to the Madonna, which according to tradition would have appeared on May 26, 1432 to Giannetta de ’Vacchi, a young peasant woman.
The works for its construction began in 1571, on a project by Pellegrino Tibaldi, a famous mannerist painter and architect, and at the behest of Carlo Borromeo, Archbishop of Milan.
For the construction of the work, an older church built in the same place where the Virgin Mary had appeared was demolished.
The works for the construction of the Sanctuary lasted until the early decades of the eighteenth century.
What see
In the basement of the church, under the main altar, exactly in the place of the apparition, there is the Sacred Source, which can be accessed from outside the Basilica.
At the Sanctuary of Caravaggio there is also a reception center for pilgrims and the sick.
In the auditorium you can admire fine stained glass windows by the painter Giorgio Versetti, a follower of Caravaggio.
In the chapel of the center of spirituality, inaugurated by Pope John Paul II in 1992, there are sculptures by Mario Toffetti, nicknamed by the art historians the sculptor of the Popes, given the numerous religious themed sculptures he made.
Miraculous water
The miraculous source gushed out precisely at the point where the Madonna left her footprint during the apparition.
Here the faithful can draw water that gushes into a large tank, and then flows out to the outside, where it is collected in a swimming pool which can be accessed by going down some steps, created with the aim of helping people who want to dive.
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In the message, Our Lady said that she had obtained mercy from the Almighty so that the punishments caused by the iniquity of men were removed, for this reason she asked for fasting on bread and water every Friday in honor of Her Son.
During the year, all Marian feasts are solemnly celebrated at the Shrine, in particular that of May 26, which represents the anniversary of the apparition of the Virgin Mary to Giannetta de 'Vacchi.
