Madonna Della Corona – The huddled church

A stunning church that is half cut out of the rock, seems to hang midway between Heaven and Earth. Thus, in a peculiar way the church is the connection of the longing of souls to Heaven. The building is a work of art breathtaking in its grandeur which seems to call the person to go closer to God to experience the Martial beauty and harmony of nature. 

The temple located near Lake Garda on peaky Baldo looks like it 'is floating'. In fact, the church sits on a thin shelf of rock can be reached by two ways. The relative inaccessibility of the place has its advantage, so that the temple retains its identity. The secluded shelf was originally a hermitage where holy men came for quite reflection and silent contemplation, separated from the rest of the world.

The actual church was built in 1530 and the place became a chapel for anyone who came to worship. The main chapel underwent a number of changes over the centuries and especially in 19th century, expanding gradually. The facade is in the Gothic style as we see it today, as a result of the reconstruction carried out in 1899. Due to its relative inaccessibility, the temple was never destroyed, rather preserved until the 20th century but time takes its toll and signs of wear and tear appear. In the late 1970s, an Italian architect demolished a large part of the depreciated part of the building, building new ones preserving the style of the architecture. An interesting fact is that after the restoration was completed in 1988, Pope John Paul lI visited the sanctuary. 

Today Madonna Della Corona is also a place of pilgrimage, attracting tourists from all over the world seeking solitude and exciting place to visit. The once treacherous path to the chapel has been modernized. The holy complex can be reached on foot and along two paths. The original read is a long set of steps starting from the nearby town Brenton and continuing to the top of the mountain. The stairs are replica of Pilate's palace, which Jesus Christ climbed before he was condemned and crucified. In the 20s of the last century, an asphalt path was laid along this path everyone can reach the tunnel through which can enter in the complex. People can use cars or mini bus on this asphalted road. 

There is something interesting a local legend according to which in 1522 a sculpture of Madonna Della Corona was miraculously transported here by angels from the island of Rhodes and a bigger church was built immediately after in place of the original chapel. 

With its uniqueness the church represents an architectural wonder and deserves to be visited. Near the temple there is a restaurant with delicious food and refreshing drinks. There are benches and tables where tourists can rest and eat. There are information boards everywhere with photographic material, as well as, friendly staff to direct people. Moreover "the view from the highest point is incredible" in the words of our photographers and storytellers Daniela Andonova and Dimitar Harizanov.





Copyright © by Rossitsa Lyamcheva (Text), Dimitar Harizanov (Photos) & Daniela Andonova (Photos). All Rights Reserved.