The simple rectangular plaster facade with an overlying pediment, still visible in early-century photographs, was modified in 1946 on the initiative of Canon Don Rodolfo Piglione. Two side bell towers and a small portico were added, and the upper part of the facade was frescoed with the scene of the Ascension. On that occasion, the conical dome on which the ancient cylindrical bell tower of the building was set was also destroyed.

Description: Thorn from Christ’s Crown
Relic: Specific objects
Description: A Madonna and Child inspired by late 14th-century style, by an anonymous author, repeatedly reworked. The Child is in a blessing pose and holds a small bird in his left hand: both he and the Mother have their heads surrounded by a round halo, crafted in gold leaf.
Image: Painting
Original location in the Sanctuary: In a 15th-century apse, possibly corresponding to the end section of the first medieval building (oriented eastward, while the current one is oriented northward) and now corresponding to the left side chapel of the sanctuary.
Notes on the collection: Ex-votos from the 17th century to the present. The oldest recorded ex-voto (now lost) was an oil painting from 1625, signed by a certain Giovanni Battista Rocca.
Types of ex-votos: Painted tablets, Various objects
Current preservation: In the sanctuary

The sanctuary likely dates back to the 14th century, though the first documented record is from 1585. The sanctuary ceased its activity due to the closure of the adjacent Cistercian monastery, which in 1797 had only six friars. In 1831, the entire complex was entrusted to the Charity Congregation, which was forced to sell it due to lack of funds to private owner Francesco Farò. He intended to demolish it to build a castle, but the project never materialized, nor did a later proposal in 1885 by the Pralormo town council to the new owners (the Monge family) to establish a practical agricultural school there. In 1873, the sanctuary was reopened for worship.

According to tradition, after the destruction of the village of Cerreto by the Astigiani in the 12th century, its population moved to Pralormo. Only a votive pillar dedicated to the Madonna, painted with her image holding the Child, remained in the Cerreto area. Due to neglect, thorn bushes grew around it, eventually wounding the Madonna’s left eye. Some passersby noticed the wounded eye bleeding miraculously, and word of the prodigy spread, drawing large crowds of faithful. As a result, the people of Pralormo decided to clear the area of thorns and build a chapel, after which the Virgin’s eye stopped bleeding.

There is a slightly different version of the tradition regarding the miracle of the bleeding eye. According to this version, the thorn that wounded it was removed by a small bird, as humans lacked the courage to intervene in such a miracle. The bird’s gesture made the people of Pralormo understand that the Madonna desired more active devotion, prompting them to build the first small church, which from then on was named “della Spina” (of the Thorn).

Another recent but significant tradition helps explain the devotion still tied to this sanctuary today: the people of Pralormo attribute their escape from the terrible Piedmont flood of November 1994 to the Madonna’s intercession. Several houses in the area were at risk of being swept away by the waters of the artificial lake below the sanctuary, as the dam protecting the reservoir was on the verge of breaking—but it did not.

August 15, 1934: Bishop Umberto Rossi of Asti granted an indulgence to anyone who recited the prayer dedicated to the Madonna della Spina.

Since January 13, 1991, the monastery has been inhabited by a community of about sixty cloistered Cottolenghine nuns devoted to the Most Precious Blood of Jesus, who still oversee the sanctuary’s care.

The Filippine Sisters managed a summer vacation home for orphaned girls from Turin in the nearby monastery. On February 13, 1971, their order merged with that of the Sisters of St. Joseph Benedict Cottolengo, but for a few years, the Filippine Sisters remained in Pralormo, also working in the town’s kindergarten.

Between 1873 and 1939, the sanctuary was overseen by a dedicated chaplain appointed by the parish priest of Pralormo.

The Cistercians remained in the sanctuary until 1797.

During the care of the Trinitarians, the sanctuary and monastery’s holdings grew through donations.

Cistercian patronage ended in 1797.

Str. del Santuario, 20, 10040 Madonna della Spina TO, Italy