Every year, all Bolognese people look forward to the feast of the Madonna of San Luca, when the icon “descends” from Monte della Guardia on the sixth Sunday after Easter and remains in the city for a week, until Ascension Sunday.
This year, these dates fall on May 21 and 29.
There has been evidence of a hermitage on Monte della Guardia since as early as 1100; these sources speak of a hermit who had come from Constantinople, bringing with him a cedar panel on which an image of the Virgin was painted in the ancient Byzantine style.
In 1741, construction work began on the Sanctuary in the form in which we see it today. The building, with a circular plan and short Greek-cross arms, has a single nave, and its overall grandeur comes from the large drum supporting a majestic dome. The paintings inside are by the 17th-century Bolognese School and include works by artists such as Guido Reni, who painted a magnificent Madonna of the Rosary located in the third chapel on the right. Behind the presbytery, a staircase leads to a gallery where the precious icon is kept inside a niche.
The sacred image is a pilgrimage destination not only for devoted Bolognese people, who reach the Sanctuary from the city center by following the long portico, but also for pilgrims arriving from the region and, in general, from all over the country.
The portico, which connects the Sanctuary to the city center and can be traversed entirely on foot, is considered the longest in the world and begins with the first arch from Porta Saragozza.
On July 5, 1433, the Madonna of San Luca was brought to Bologna for the first time through Porta Saragozza: starting in April, the city had been hit by continuous rain and thunderstorms with lightning that also struck the Asinelli Tower, and on May 4 there had also been earthquakes. Once the image entered the city, the rain stopped. After the rain ceased, a great celebration was held, with a three-day procession through the city, after which the image was taken back to the Sanctuary. Since then, these celebrations have been repeated every year.
Among the faithful, there is a common perception: when observing the sacred icon of the Madonna for a prolonged period, one feels watched by her maternal gaze. This sensation is especially strong when approaching the icon from the staircase leading to the altar.
About the Sanctuary
Contacts and addresses
Via di San Luca 36
40135 Bologna
Tel. 051 61 42 339
How to get there the Sanctuary
