Around the 1770s, the oratory was expanded thanks to the alms of the faithful. The construction material was humble—bricks and rough stones. The sanctuary and the convent required restoration, and indeed, between 1848 and 1859, major renovations began, giving the structure its current appearance. Engineer Antonio Mariani from Prato designed and directed the work free of charge, in memory and suffrage of his wife Erminia Conti, who had been educated in the Conservatory. The original small loggia in front of the main door was demolished and replaced by a three-arched Gothic portico on pillars, with a stone band, a cross-vaulted ceiling, and a rusticated wall. The rear of the church was also extended and widened, requiring the cutting of the rock on which the Virgin was frescoed, and the image was then placed on the high altar.
**Description:**
An image of the Virgin with the Child, enclosed in a tabernacle, whose dating is highly uncertain due to multiple retouchings. It is generally attributed to the 16th or 17th century.
**First recorded use:** Between 1700 and 1722
**Type:** Painting
**Collection of ex-votos:** No
**Miracles attested:** Yes, but no formal collection exists.
The founding legend, passed down through oral tradition, dates back to the 16th century. Father Ballerini’s booklet (cited in the bibliography) mentions the year 1581, though no documentary evidence supports this. The pastoral visit of Cardinal Boncompagni in 1692, conducted in the parish of Sambuca, makes no mention of an oratory dedicated to the Madonna del Giglio.
By the 18th century, word had spread among the mountain folk that Santa Maria del Giglio could heal eye ailments. In 1722, Rosalia Ottari, a young girl from Bologna, was brought there. Upon praying before the image, she miraculously regained her sight. She chose to stay near the venerated image, and as miracles and graces continued to occur, a small church was built on the site.
During the 20th century, the influx of pilgrims and devotion to the Sambuca sanctuary significantly declined.
We know that in 1722, Rosalia Ottari, a young Bolognese woman, visited the tabernacle of Santa Maria del Giglio because she was blind and had heard that praying there could restore sight. After praying, she was miraculously healed. She decided to stay near the tabernacle, so the local community built her a small house and erected a church around the shrine. The noble Forteguerri family of Pistoia notably contributed to the construction.
The Forteguerri family also substantially funded the mid-19th-century restoration and expansion of the sanctuary and the small monastery.
This entry was compiled by Isabella Gagliardi and Enrica Totti.
**Historical Context:**
In the 10th century, the Sambuca castle was at the center of the Villa de Pavano territory, which Otto III recognized on February 25, 998, as under the temporal jurisdiction of the bishops of Pistoia. The rights of the Pistoiese bishop were later confirmed by the *homines de Pavana e Sambuca* in 1055 and by Sigifredo di Agichi, lord of the upper Apennines, in 1086. Spiritual jurisdiction, however, belonged to the bishop of Bologna and depended on the Pieve of San Pietro di Succida. A 1104 decree in the presence of Matilda of Canossa clarified the matter, later reaffirmed by papal privileges granted to the bishop of Pistoia in the 12th century. By the 14th century, the castle had passed to the Commune of Pistoia. The church of San Giacomo and San Cristoforo appears in the 1300 tax records as a dependency of the Pieve di Succida. Only on August 27, 1781, by decree of Pius VI, did the church of Sambuca, along with six other parishes, transfer to the diocese of Pistoia.
Rosalia Ottari (or Ottani), the young Bolognese woman miraculously healed by the Virgin’s intercession, chose to live near the sacred image. With alms from locals and prominent Sambuca families, she had a church and a dwelling built on the site. During construction, she stayed in Pistoia with the noble Forteguerri family. After completion, she returned to Sambuca and soon became known as “monaca santa” (holy nun). She was joined by two local companions—Una Lizzani and Una Bettini—forming the first group of female hermit guardians, a unique feature compared to other mountain sanctuaries, which typically had male custodians.
Since the women followed no formal rule, the clergy encouraged them to adopt the Capuchin Franciscan tertiary rule, confirmed by Pope Nicholas IV in the bull *Supra montem Catholicae fidei*. Rosalia took vows as Sister Girolama, Lizzani as Sister Chiara, and Bettini as Sister Maria. Prospero Lambertini, Archbishop of Bologna (later Pope Benedict XIV), approved their choice. A 1731 pastoral visit recorded:
> *”26 August 1731. The oratory of the Blessed Virgin Mary, commonly called del Giglio, is cared for by three sisters living communally under the Rule of St. Francis in a small monastery built by alms and given to them. Their way of life is approved by the Most Eminent Ordinary.”*
In 1731, the three women professed their tertiary vows in the presence of a Capuchin friar from Bologna. A 1742 visit by Monsignor Scarselli, Bishop of Mennito, noted the need for a superior to enforce the rule and manage alms. By 1747, no superior had yet been elected, but the sisters had begun educating local girls in Christian doctrine—a role that grew in importance during the 18th century.
After Italian unification in 1866, the Conservatory remained untouched but came under the Ministry of Public Instruction. By the early 20th century, it lost its original purpose, becoming an orphanage with an elementary school. Post-World War II, as the Pistoiese mountains depopulated, the institution closed. Since 1939, when entrusted to the Franciscan Sisters of the Immaculate, it has served as a retirement home and retreat center.
51020 Sambuca Pistoiese PT, Italy
