Re, a small town with scattered hamlets located at 700.0 meters
above sea level nestled in the beautiful Vigezzo Valley in the province
of Verbania, - Cusio - Ossola, a territory of Piedmont of
infinite beauty, the last municipality in the valley just 7.0
kilometers from the Swiss border with its village of Ponte Ribellasca which
forms the border between Italy and the Helvetic Republic.
Furrowed
by the Melezzo stream between
suggestive mountains and picturesque hills overlooking dense wooded areas where
pines, beeches and rich in mushrooms predominate, Re is dominated by Mount
Gridone and lies in a natural
bottleneck of the valley that turns into a sort of gorge at this geographical
point.
Famous
center for the presence of the famous Sanctuary of the Madonna del Sangue, iconic marian pilgrimage site remembering the
miraculous event dating back to 1494 when a shed of blood took place on a
frescoed image depicting a Madonna del Latte.
Once
you arrive at your destination, you can linger in front of the imposing single-nave Basilica developed in
neo-Byzantine architectural style with Renaissance influences, a work
commissioned in 1894 by the then Bishop of Novara to commemorate
the 400th anniversary of the miracle.
The
adjacent Sanctuary dedicated to the Madonna del Sangue was a work
completed after works begun in 1922 by the Bolognese architect
Edoardo Collamarini who made use of the great works carried out by stonemasons
who built this majestic stone building inaugurated on August 5, 1958
and elevated to Minor Basilica by Pope Pius XII.
The
history of this place is very interesting and suggestive, it all began in 1494
where on a small church not far from today's agglomeration on one of its
facades there was a fresco depicting a Madonna del Latte with Child.
A young
local named Giovanni was playing with friends near him in Piodella,
probably angry for the defeat he threw a stone towards the religious building
hitting the frescoed face of the Madonna and after the fact assailed by remorse
he ran home.
The
following day a local devotee touching the sacred image saw blood loss
coming from the forehead of the Virgin Mary, a miracle that lasted for about
twenty days, the locals decided to collect the liquid in pieces of cloth
that the local parish priest then put in a chalice.
Since
then, strong flows of pilgrimages began to see this miraculous image and
many people who had been ill or with serious health problems had been cured for
years, effects that created great uproar, miracles attested and compiled in historical
archives by the Podestà.
Similar
cases occurred in the same century in the Romagna provincial capital of
Forlì where a venerated image of a Madonna pierced by a knife began
to lose blood, giving rise to the miracle of the Wounded Madonna which
is now honored and venerated in the
city Cathedral of Santa Croce.
Another
important note concerns the chimney sweeps of Re who moved to the great
metropolis of Milan for work, proud and devoted to the Madonna del Sangue of
their hometown in ancient times gathered to remember the event in a Milanese
church located in Via Magolfa in the well-known area of the Navigli.
In
front of that fresco, which was later entitled as Our Lady of the Blood, a
small altar was built, then an eighteenth-century church built between 1606 and
1628 and later, in contemporary times, a sanctuary of considerable size,
visible today.
Visiting
the interior behind the altar there is a tabernacle inaugurated on August 5,
1928 which houses a crystal ampoule enclosed in a glass chalice
closed by a metal lid and for safety hermetically sealed in four points
containing the pieces of cloth soaked in that miraculous blood.
The
four seals correspond to the periodic reconnaissance of the relic carried out
by the Bishops of the Diocese of Novara, that is, the first occurred in 1628
attributed by Bishop Volpi, the second carried out by Bishop Eula in
the nineteenth century, the third by the hand of the Franciscan Bishop
Ossola dating back to 1948 and a fourth in 1962 with
Archbishop Gramigni as the protagonist .
Near
the Sanctuary in the late nineteenth century the Pilgrim's House was built where there is also the Diocesan Museum which
honors with a collection of votive objects left for the veneration of the
Madonna del Sangue containing the votive offerings of pilgrims, embroidery,
photographs, painted tablets, all tributes related to four fundamental aspects
namely violence, natural disasters,
accident and illness.
The
various pieces are located in a space located under the image of the Virgin
Mary with a review of the events and episodes that took place collected in the
lower section, some told through photos others in writing.
There
are also paintings, some of which were commissioned from professional painters
and others made by amateur painting enthusiasts.
The feast of Our Lady of the
Blood is celebrated annually from April 29th to May 1st with a votive
pilgrimage on foot that starts from the town of Domodossola and ends in
Re in front of the Sanctuary, a place that has been included in itineraries of
relevance of Marian faith and in the routes of CoEur linked to religious paths
in Europe.
Time for your advice among the first courses of your choice Rustida
Pasta with Potatoes or Risotto with Porcini Mushrooms, among the
second courses between Lamb Chops with Spinach Au Gratin in Bettelmatt
or Grilled Chicken Breast with Onion and Bacon and Mixed Salad.
Visiting Re is a wonderful day of tourism that combines art,
history, faith, the wonderful landscapes of the Vigezzo Valley, a tourist
experience that will surely fully delight you.
Link : http://www.vallevigezzo.eu/re/
Where to
Stay | Recommended Accommodation in the area
La Terrazza
