The sanctuary was demolished in 1922, and the current one was built in 1924.
**Description:**
A wooden statue from the 15th century, reflecting the style of Domenico da Tolmezzo; it survived from the 16th century until 1922. The statue originally wore a silver crown, later replaced with a gold one. The right hand is positioned as if holding an object—historically depicted as a heart from 1748, then a rosary, and later necklaces representing received graces. In the 19th century, golden silver roses were added. The left hand holds the Child. The attire consists of a red tunic with golden decorations and a blue cloak with golden embellishments. The Child wears a red tunic with golden decorations and holds a book in the left hand. A solemn coronation took place in 1863. The statue sits on a chair, and the current version dates back to the 1935 restoration, which revealed the original painted decorations.
**In use since:** Between 1450 and 1450.
**Epiphany:** Madonna seated on a throne with the Child.
**Image:** Statue.
**Description:**
An older image, known as the *Madonna Mora*, is kept in a room of the convent. Some believe it may have been the previously venerated image. It is a standing wooden statue of the Madonna holding the Child (painted wood). The wooden artwork may date back to the 13th century. The Madonna wears a red dress with golden decorations, cinched below the bust, and a blue cloak. She holds the Child by the feet. The Child wears a red tunic and a blue cloak with golden decorations. The statue is damaged at the base and has been repainted multiple times in various areas.
**In use since:** Between 1200 and 1200.
**Epiphany:** Madonna holding the Child.
**Image:** Statue.
**Original location of the Sanctuary:** Along all the walls of the sanctuary and in the sacristy.
**Notes on the collection:** From the 17th century to the present.
**Types of ex-votos:** Inscribed tablets or plaques, painted tablets, real or represented prosthetics, photographs.
**Current preservation:** The over 300 votive paintings are only a small remaining portion after three phases of removal: during the radical transformation of the church in 1732–38, the construction of the current sanctuary in 1911–12, and finally in 1954 when the walls were redecorated. For security reasons, the current location is omitted.
Handwritten records are kept in the convent’s archive, some publications, and the sanctuary’s bulletin.
According to legend, the first church was built in 582, but the oldest document mentioning the monastery is a donation by Patriarch Fortunatus in 810, followed by wills from the 11th and 12th centuries. A papal bull from 1431 states that the buildings were in ruins, and in 1493, the Chapter of Aquileia issued a fundraising letter to the Franciscans to restore the monastery. Records from Bishop de Nores’ pastoral visit (1585) mention a church consecrated as Santa Maria di Barbana, with significant pilgrim traffic. Thus, the 15th century is considered the beginning of a sanctuary-like devotion in the church.
**References:**
*Istoria* 1841. *Istoria* 1859. Cessi 1933, p. 77. Candido 1926, p. 11. Zoff 1991, pp. 153–165.
According to the main legend, the island of Barbana was once the lazaretto of Aquileia. A severe storm swept the island, and the statue of the Madonna was seen floating on the waves before resting on a tree, where Patriarch Elijah erected the sanctuary. See other relevant events and chronological data.
The first mention is a 734 letter from Pope Gregory III to Patriarch Callistus of Aquileia. From the 8th to the 15th century, there are only a few fiscal references. With the arrival of the Conventual Franciscans as custodians, the first records of the cult, graces, ex-votos, and pilgrimages appear. The Franciscans were called to Barbana by the commendatory abbots of the Abbey of Sesto, to which Barbana was united by papal bull from 1513 to 1789. The sanctuary has always had strong ties to Grado and Venice, evidenced by the 1237 vow (plague), the *Pasqua rosada* (three days of festivities at Pentecost), and gifts from the gondoliers’ confraternity dedicated to the Madonna of Barbana, active until the late 18th century.
**Jurisdiction:**
Patriarchate of Aquileia (legend attributes its foundation to Patriarch Elijah, resident in Grado, 571–586). After the split of the Patriarchate between Aquileia and Grado (604), it remained under the jurisdiction of the Patriarchate of Grado, then Venice (from 1451, Grado’s seat was suppressed in favor of Venice) until the incorporation of the monastery of Sesto, subject to the Patriarchate of Aquileia (1513). After the suppression of the Patriarchate of Aquileia (1751), it fell under the Archdiocese of Udine until 1818, when Pius VII adjusted Venetian diocesan boundaries, placing Barbana under the Archdiocese of Gorizia, first in the Deanery of Fiumicello, then Aquileia. From 1901, it was a Franciscan convent, initially under the Province of St. Jerome, then the Venetian Province.
In 1901, the Archbishop of Gorizia entrusted custody to the Franciscans of the Province of St. Jerome of Dalmatia, and from 1924 to the Franciscans of the Venetian Province.
The commendatory abbot of Sesto entrusted pastoral care to secular clergy, who remained until 1900.
From 1508, the Conventual Franciscans were called to Barbana by the Grimani, commendatory abbots of Sesto, but the first confirmed records date to 1567. They remained until 1768, when the Venetian Senate suppressed all convents with fewer than 12 religious.
After an obscure period, it appears Conventual Franciscans were present at Barbana.
From around 1170 to 1485, it was a Benedictine abbey. From the mid-15th century, abbots no longer resided in Barbana, governing through a procurator.
Legend holds that from its 6th-century origins, there was an abbot and monks, likely Benedictine, though unidentified. Benedictines from the Abbey of Santa Maria di Palazzolo near Ravenna (after 898) may have followed, but no documents exist until the 12th century.
In 1513, the monastery of Barbana was united with and incorporated into the monastery of Sesto, which in 1441 was entrusted to various Venetian prelates and from 1503 almost always to a member of the Grimani family. The union ended with the death of the last commendatory abbot in 1789.
**34073 Sanctuary of Barbana, GO, Italy**
