Phone +39 039 992 0163 Architect Carlo Buzzi | Province Province of Lecco | |
Address Via del Santuario, 1, 23898 Imbersago LC, Italy Similar Basilica di San Nicolò, Abbazia di San Pietro al Monte, Ponte San Michele, Chiesa di Santa Maria Na, Parco naturale del Monte | ||
The Sanctuary of the Madonna del Bosco (Our Lady of the Forest) is a Roman Catholic sanctuary church outside of Imbersago, province of Lecco, region of Lombardy, Italy.
History
The church was built between 1641 and 1644 by the architect Carlo Buzzi. Tradition holds that at the site, a mother whose child was being attacked by wolves, called to the Virgin, who appeared and saved the child from the wolf-attack. In the 20th century, Pope John XXIII named it a Minor Basilica.
The layout is octagonal, typical of 15th-century Marian shrines in Lombardy. The complex was enlarged in 1677 and 1888. The interior has a three lobed nave with a presbytery with a balustrade.
The main altarpiece is a depiction of the Madonna and Child above a grove of Chestnut trees (1888). In the left nave is an altarpiece depicting a Pietà, attributed to the studio of the Campi .
The sanctuary can be accessed via the Scala Santa with 392 steps. Most are linear steps until the end with a scenic sweep of two arms. At the top is a modern bronze statue of Pope John XXIII by Enrico Manfrini. Below the belvedere, is a crypt with a stucco depiction of the founding miracle.