Single-nave church with a gabled roof
Description: The painted decoration of the shrine within the sanctuary centers on the image depicted on the back wall. Here, the Virgin Mary is shown seated with the Christ Child on a backless seat. The Virgin faces forward, holding her son on her right knee. Jesus raises his left hand in blessing. On either side of these figures, two small angels are painted hovering in flight. Within the intrados of the structure, Saint Christopher is depicted on the left, Saint Anthony the Abbot on the right, and above them, the mystical lamb. A close examination of the work reveals the presence of non-homogeneous elements. The faces of Saint Christopher, Saint Anthony the Abbot, and the two angels were executed with a rather dense and substantial impasto. The heads of Jesus and the Virgin, however, are rendered very differently—flat and schematic. This suggests the images originate from two distinct periods. The face of Mary, with its iconic stillness, framed by a veil with archaic embroidery, and that of her son, appear to date from the 16th century, while the other figures and the remaining parts of the divine group display later characteristics. Based on what can be observed, the execution of this second phase of restoration and updating likely took place in the first half of the 16th century, specifically around 1530, when the small church intended to house the shrine was under construction (G: Comez- f. Orsini, pp. 250-253). The unknown painter responsible seems to reflect the styles of the most famous Perugian artists of that era: Ginnicola di Paolo, Bitte Caporali, and Pompeo Cocci. (This text is entirely taken from Corrado Fratini’s essay in AA, VV., *Art in Umbria. Collazzone. Catalog of Artworks*, edited by Caterina Bon Valvassina and Corrado Fratini, Ediart, p. 85.)
The image was placed in the church through the intercession of the vicar of the Bishop of Todi, Cardinal Paolo Emilio Cesi.
Date of use: Between 1100 and 1524
Image: Painting
Collection of ex-votos: Data not available
Current conservation status: The collection has been lost
The construction of the current church, as evidenced by a testamentary bequest for its building, dates to 1524, following a series of miracles attributed to the image of the Madonna painted in a shrine. However, a Marian cult likely existed on this site for centuries, as the foundation legend of this sanctuary speaks of an initial miracle of the Virgin linked to the siege of Gaglietole Castle by Frederick Barbarossa in the 12th century and the immediate construction of the sanctuary in Mary’s honor. Unfortunately, further historical sources about this church’s past are currently lacking. The exact date when the sanctuary ceased to function is unknown; today, the building serves as a cemetery chapel.
Barbarossa besieged Gaglietole. The castle’s defenders resisted until the emperor aimed his cannons (possibly legendary) at the town. Though exhausted by the prolonged siege, the defenders prayed to the Virgin, and a thick, dark fog appeared, preventing the troops from continuing the battle. Thus, the emperor was forced to retreat, and the defenders erected a sanctuary in honor of the Virgin. (Cf. Fiorella Giacalone, *The Foundation Legends of Marian Sanctuaries in Umbria*, in *Proceedings of the Faculty of Political Science, Academic Year 1983–1984*, 20; *Quaderni dell’Istituto di Studi Sociali*, 7; *Studies and Research in Cultural Anthropology and Sociology*; Perugia 1985, pp. 70-71).
06050 Gaglietole, Province of Perugia, Italy
