In the second half of the 17th century, the church was expanded on the eastern side into a space wider than the previous nave, with the installation of a new altar. Around 1670-80, the church was further enlarged, and a large complex for spiritual exercises was built next to it. On the ground floor, two sections of porticoes lead to spacious rooms, while on the first floor, corridors lined with numerous small cells were developed.
Description: A 17th-century gilded wooden statue of the Madonna and Child. The work, placed on the altarpiece, features the iconography of the Madonna of the Snow and of Carmel. Image: Statue
Original location in the Sanctuary: In the sacristy and along the chapel walls. Type of ex-votos: Painted tablets
The first document mentioning this chapel is a will, drafted in Cuneo on February 9, 1261, in which a woman named Ricalda, wife of Basso Giovanni, names the Certosa di Pesio as her heir and leaves various offerings to churches in the area, including 12 soldi to the work of Santa Maria in Boves. Archaeological excavations inside and outside the sanctuary, which began in March 1999 and concluded in the summer of 2000, revealed evidence confirming the existence of a Romanesque religious building beneath the 19th-century wooden flooring.
The first document mentioning this chapel is a will, drafted in Cuneo on February 9, 1261. / In the second half of the 15th century, the chapel was frescoed with a detailed cycle dedicated to the stories of the Virgin and the childhood of Jesus. / In the second half of the 16th century, but before the apostolic visit of 1583, the church was expanded on the western side into its current form and fitted with a barrel vault with lunettes on both the longer and shorter sides toward the current entrance. The entire space was frescoed with two sequences: in the lunettes above the 15th-century paintings, scenes of the Passion of Jesus were depicted, while in the newly added section, the Last Judgment was portrayed. The first description of the church dates back to the apostolic visit of Monsignor Gerolamo Scarampi in February 1583. The church appears as a single nave with a painted vault and a single altar. / In the second half of the 17th century, the church was expanded on the eastern side into a space wider than the previous nave, with the installation of a new altar. The entire space was decorated with paintings and furnishings of fine craftsmanship. / Around 1670-80, the church was further enlarged, and a large complex for spiritual exercises was built next to it, featuring two sections of porticoes resembling a cloister. / In 1998, extensive restoration work began on the church and its frescoes, along with new technological installations. / In 2000, a new polished bronze altar was created, the work of sculptor Garis.
When the Carmelite Company was established by a special episcopal decree with a general bull from the Carmelites dated May 7, 1705, the Madonna dei Boschi was enriched with all the indulgences, graces, and favors granted to the Carmelite Order.
Today, it is an institution with autonomous legal personality.
The spiritual care of the sanctuary was and still is entrusted to a resident chaplain. In the past, the chaplain also oversaw the school for local children.
The patronage that the municipality of Boves exercised over the sanctuary is confirmed by the agreement stipulated with the chaplain at the beginning of the 18th century. The municipality is the owner of both the church and the adjoining house for spiritual exercises. However, the first legal recognition, sought due to disputes over rights, is a ruling dated May 17, 1873.
12012 Boves, Province of Cuneo, Italy
