Madonna di Belmonte

The **Madonna di Belmonte** (Our Lady of Belmonte, Italian: *Nostra Signora di Belmonte*) is a venerated Marian image enshrined at the Santuario della Madonna di Belmonte in Valperga, Piedmont, Italy. The ancient wooden statue, carved in the Romanesque *Sedes Sapientiae* (Seat of Wisdom) style of the late 12th century, depicts Mary enthroned with the Christ Child seated frontally on her lap. ## 📜 History & Tradition Tradition holds that the sanctuary was founded by King Arduin of Ivrea, the first Italian-born King of Italy (crowned 1002), in thanksgiving to the Virgin Mary after his miraculous healing. The first reliable documentation of the church dates to 1197, when records mention the *ecclesia Sanctae Virginis Mariae de Bello Monte*. In 1326, Bishop Guido II Valperga of Asti, paralyzed by gout, received a vision in which the Virgin Mary appeared alongside St. Secundus, requesting the sanctuary's restoration. He traveled to Belmonte, celebrated Mass, and was healed. When Benedictine nuns were required to relocate to Cuorgnè in 1601, they attempted to take the Madonna statue with them. According to tradition, the church suddenly darkened and the Virgin's face grew pale—a sign that the image should remain. Franciscan friars took custody the following year. ## 👑 Canonical Coronation The Madonna di Belmonte received canonical coronation on **August 17, 1788**, following Vatican investigation into numerous healings attributed to her intercession. This date became the principal feast day. During the Napoleonic period, French soldiers attempted to burn the image. Tradition holds that a sudden storm extinguished their fires, and a local woman, Ottavia Delibera Ottini, rescued and preserved the statue until peace returned. Subsequent coronations occurred in 1888 and 2006 (after the theft of the gold crowns that year). ## ☩ The Sacro Monte The sanctuary forms part of the UNESCO World Heritage Sacro Monte di Belmonte, where 13 Passion chapels wind through ancient oak and chestnut forest. Pilgrims venerate the crowned Madonna after walking the ancient footpath from Valperga through the *Piloni del Rosario* (rosary stations), an hour's ascent through forest and hillside. ## 🕯️ Feast Day **August 17** – Feast of the Madonna di Belmonte, commemorating the canonical coronation of 1788.