Basilica Santuario Santa Maria della Quercia, Viterbo

Fine sanctuary, wide spaces, peaceful prayer place.

The history of the sanctuary begins in 1417 when master Battista Luzzante gave the commission to paint the image of the "Virgin Mary with a child in her arms" to the painter Monetto. The icon was then placed between the branches of an oak. Fifty years later, the miracle occurred that led to the birth of the actual Sanctuary. It is said, in fact, that a knight to escape his enemies, approached the oak that made him invisible, thus managing to save himself. In 1467 the construction of the Sanctuary of the Madonna della Quercia began, which ended in 1469. In 1984 the image was crowned by John Paul II. Exterior of the Sanctuary: the facade and the bell tower The exterior of the sanctuary is sober, but the interior houses numerous valuable works and splendid decorations that cannot fail to amaze the visitor and pilgrim. To this is added a particular bell tower and two suggestive as well as spectacular cloisters. The visit to the Sanctuary begins by taking a look at the simple and austere façade, the work of Carlo di Mariotto and Domenico di Jacopo da Fiorenzuola (1508). On the façade we find three rose windows and three richly decorated portals, surmounted by lunettes of vitrified terracotta made by Andrea della Robbia in 1508. Detached from the church stands the massive bell tower, the work of Ambrogio da Milano. The Cloisters The visit to the Sanctuary of the Madonna della Quercia will reserve us other splendid surprises, admiring the two cloisters. The first, built in the 15th century, is accessed via a portal built in Renaissance style between 1511 and 1513. In the center stands an elegant cistern, the work of Bruno di Domenico da Settignano (1508). The second square cloister and larger than the first, recalls the Tuscan architectural style and was attributed to Antonio da Sangallo the Younger. A central fountain from 1663 enriches the scenery. Many other works of the sixteenth, seventeenth and eighteenth centuries are found both in the refectory and in the sacristy, with paintings and frescoes that complete the visit to the Sanctuary of the Madonna della Quercia in the best way. I have never seen Mass celebrated so well! What really surprised me favorably besides the homily is the emotional intensity transmitted and the space of time that the priest dedicated to the supreme moment of the Mass, that is to say the Eucharistic consecration. I believe that by doing so, we effectively strike deep into the hearts of the faithful, the part of our ego that most needs to be moved, if we want to follow Christ. No words for the Sanctuary which is beautiful ... Thank God🙏⛪👍✋🚗