The official worship begins when the image is transferred to a dedicated altar in the church of Sant’Andrea in vineis (now S. Domenico) on Sunday, May 12, 1420. The exact location of the fresco and the altar within the church of S. Andrea remains to be determined. The few and imprecise testimonies agree in placing it “sub pontili” above the wall adjacent to the first cloister, on the right side. Dismissing the hypothesis that it was an actual pontile as an architectural element indicating the presence of a crypt, it must be presumed to be a porch with columns serving as support, most likely for the choir loft, beneath which, through a door, one could access the cloister.

On December 15, 1509, the Dominican fathers decided to demolish the pontile, which obstructed the natural extension of the chapels on the side of the church adjacent to the cloister, and to build a smaller one above the choir wall; this would allow space for two altars. In 1510, work began on the construction of the new chapel to house the image of the Blessed Virgin of Graces. Under the patronage of the noble Faentine Nicolò Barbavari, the decoration of the new chapel was entrusted to the sculptor Pietro Barilotto, then associated with Giovanni di Antonio da Stradella. Perhaps it was during the destruction of the pontile and the complete rebuilding of the chapel that the fresco was mutilated on the sides, losing the Virgin’s arms, and in the lower part, the body and a probable praying figure, whose existence is not too far-fetched to assume. However, doubts remain about the altarpiece that was supposed to adorn the fresco as a frame and about the author of the stories with the miracles of the Virgin painted on it; unfortunately, no documents on this matter have yet been found.

A radical change in the appearance of the Chapel dates back to the last quarter of the 16th century: the old altarpiece was moved to the convent’s dormitory and replaced with a new one in carved and gilded wood, with wooden shutters equipped with a special lock that hid the view of the image, establishing from then on the custom of unveiling it only on the feast day; at the same time, the chapel was enriched with carved and gilded Istrian marbles. The exact date of the work can be roughly placed around 1590, as documents from 1631-1633 trace it back to forty years earlier. In May 1634, just three years after the famous and lavish coronation ceremony of the Virgin, further touch-ups were made by the leaders of the confraternity. The Chapel of the Virgin had taken on a particularly sumptuous appearance with the various interventions, and in 1635 it was remembered as rich in decorations and furnishings.

In 1689, the chapel underwent substantial modifications again: following the death of the confraternity member Francesco Tampieri of the Company of Graces, to fulfill his wishes, a finely crafted marble altar was ordered in Venice from Sante Trogni; and the Barbavari, who enjoyed the ancient right of patronage, had to yield to the will of the religious authorities, the prior of the convent, and the confraternity members, who were now fully in charge of the chapel, resigning themselves to an installation they did not approve of. New stuccoes, new wooden statues (six angels), and new painted decorations for the vault.

With the renovation of the Dominican church begun in 1759, the fresco was detached from the chapel and in 1760 transferred to the cathedral. Description: A fresco of Venetian-continental Gothic style, still existing, albeit fragmentary, in the Cathedral, where it arrived in the 18th century, detached from the church of the Dominicans. The official worship begins when the image is transferred to a dedicated altar in the church of Sant’Andrea in vineis (now San Domenico) on Sunday, May 12, 1420. The exact location of the fresco and the altar within the church of Sant’Andrea remains to be determined. In use between the year 1412 and the year 1420. Image: Painting
Collection of ex-votos: Data not available

The image of the Virgin of Graces originated as an ex-voto following the plague of 1412. It was painted by an unknown hand in an unspecified spot in the church of Sant’Andrea in Vineis (now San Domenico) and depicts the Virgin in the act of protecting the faithful gathered under her mantle. Popular devotion was encouraged by the Dominican fathers, who believed they owed an altar to this Virgin dispenser of graces to institutionalize her worship. The official worship begins when the image is transferred to a dedicated altar on Sunday, May 12, 1420. The future Pope Eugene IV (Cardinal Gabriele Condulmaro) also participated in the ceremony. On this occasion, she was proclaimed Santa Maria delle Grazie, and that day would be considered her feast. The worship consolidated during the plague of 1630 when Faenza was completely spared from the epidemic. With the renovation of the Dominican church begun in 1759, the fresco was detached from the chapel and in 1760 transferred to the cathedral. (Pezzoli, Repertorio). For subsequent events regarding the transfer, see the entry for the Blessed Virgin of Graces (in the Cathedral).

In 1412, following the alleged apparition to a matron named Giovanna, the fresco was painted in the church of S. Andrea in Vineis as an ex-voto for the cessation of the plague. The official worship began when the image was transferred to a dedicated altar in the church of S. Andrea in vineis (now S. Domenico) on Sunday, May 12, 1420. In 1531, Father Vincenzo da Faenza transcribed from the old legend a history of the origin of the image on a parchment then nailed to a fir board three feet long and one and a half feet wide with the image of the Madonna; the tablet was hung next to the altar, so that over time the memory of the miraculous events at the origin of the worship would not be lost.

BIBLIOGRAPHY – In addition to the texts specifically dedicated to this place of worship, reference is made to some significant repertoires that present sections related to the sanctuary. – ARTICLE IN MISCELLANY – Pezzoli Stefano, ‘General Repertoire of Sanctuaries in Emilia Romagna’, in Arte e Santuari in Emilia Romagna 1987, pp. 179 – 239. (For the diocese of Faenza-Modigliana, the following sanctuaries are described: Blessed Virgin of Graces of Faenza).

1420: indulgence of 40 days, starting from the first vespers of the anniversary day, for those who visited the altar.

The fresco remained in the church of the Dominicans until 1760.

The confraternity arose simultaneously with the consecration of the altar. The confraternity received a significant concession from the Dominican Father General Leonardo da Firenze on July 24, 1421, and in 1422 established its first statutes. In 1529, the prior of the convent, Fra Tommaso da Ferrara, Fra Tommaso Barbavari, and Fra Innocenzo de’ Gandolfi da Faenza, granted the care of the chapel and the altar of the Madonna delle Grazie to the Company of Graces, otherwise known as San Pietro in Vincoli. During the 17th century, the confraternity members became fully in charge of the chapel.

48018 Faenza, Province of Ravenna, Italy