The sanctuary corresponds to the chapel to the left of the main altar in the parish church of San Pietro del Gallo. It features a 19th-century altar above which stands the venerated statue of the Madonna and Child.
**Description:**
The statue depicts the Madonna in majesty, seated on a throne with an asymmetrical seat. She holds the Child seated on her left knee while her right arm is bent; by analogy with similar examples, it is imagined she once held a fruit in her hand. Mary wears a dark blue mantle with a delicate floral pattern, covering her head like a veil, secured on her forehead by a golden band with polychrome decorations. Restoration work revealed that the head was originally prepared for a crown, now lost. The mantle, which covers a deep red dress, falls in deep vertical folds to her feet and is edged with a fringed border. Her complexion is soft and rosy on the cheeks, with a rather large and flattened nose, thin lips, and a sweet, maternal gaze, though fixed on the viewer. Overall, the figure appears somewhat stout due to the robust, less feminine neck and pronounced features, but the face remains captivating.
The Child is not rigidly frontal but slightly turned to the left, the direction of his gaze. Jesus has blond, wavy hair extending below his ears and wears a tunic that drapes in folds between his knees, leaving his little feet uncovered. The back of the statue is flat and unfinished, indicating it was originally placed against a wall.
The statue was stolen in 1986 and recovered in 1988. Due to its poor condition, it was placed under judicial custody with the Superintendency and underwent emergency restoration in 1988. It is now housed in the parish church of San Pietro del Gallo, in the chapel to the left of the main altar, within a niche about three meters high, protected by glass and a security system.
Before restoration, the artwork was in very poor condition. The restoration (1988–1989, Nicola workshop, Aramengo d’Asti) involved consolidating the wooden support, securing the older layers of paint and primer, and removing later alterations that had obscured its original appearance. Most of these modifications date to the last century, though some may have been made in the early 1900s. The restoration also revealed evidence of a 14th-century intervention.
Dismissing legendary tales claiming its existence and veneration at the time of Cuneo’s founding (1198), no medieval documentary sources allow for precise dating. Stylistic analysis suggests the work dates between 1280 and 1290. The statue was discovered under the ruins of the cathedral in 1744 during church restoration excavations. Considered a treasure primarily for its antiquity and the countless devotees who had knelt before it seeking grace in troubled times, it was donated by city administrators to the Pascal d’Illonza family in gratitude for their contributions to the city.
**In use since:** 1811
**Image:** Statue
**Collection of ex-votos:** No
In 1807, Count Luigi Enrico Pascal, owner of the lands surrounding San Pietro del Gallo, decided to offer the 13th-century Madonna and Child statue—gifted to him by the city of Cuneo—for public veneration. He committed to building a chapel at his own expense in *cornu Epistolae*, furnishing it with the necessary decor.
On the wooden altar housing the Madonna statue, an inscription in golden capital letters reads: *ALTARE PRIVILEGIATUM PERPETUUM – DECRET. LEONIS XII 1° SEPT. 1827*.
Although the chapel’s construction was commissioned by the Pascal d’Illonza family, its patronage has always belonged to the parish.
12100 San Pietro del Gallo CN, Italy
