Le campane del Santuario della Madonna di Oropa a Migiandone, Ornavasso (VB)

At the beginning of the 19th century, Gaspare Bessero, a well-known gold prospector in the valley and a devotee of the Madonna of Oropa, vowed to build a shrine to the Virgin Mary if she would help him in his search for a gold nugget lost in a mine. The prospector miraculously recovered the lost gold nugget and, in thanks, asked the bishop of Novara to build a shrine in the Ossola mountains. In August 1819, work began, identifying an ancient abandoned place of worship on the heights of Migiandone (Italy). The sanctuary was completed in early summer 1820 and visited by Cardinal Morozzo to bless the new statue on the high altar. The shrine's feast day was set for the last Sunday in August, in perpetual memory of that event. The sanctuary project had envisaged a Greek cross plan, with three altars. In 1822, the traditional Stations of the Cross chapels, painted by a local painter, were erected along the small road that climbs from the square into the woods towards the sanctuary. d'' - e'' - f'' sharp - g'' - a'' The sanctuary bell tower was completed in 1841 with the casting of three bells from the Mazzola foundry, paid for by the founder together with his wife. On 6 May 1915, sacrilegious thieves knotted two altar cloths to lower themselves from the pulpit, stealing precious candelabra and the smaller bell. One of the two remaining bells cracked at the end of the war, but continued to ring until the new concert of five bells was cast. The new bells were cast by the great-grandson of the previous Mazzola, who created a concert in D major that could be rung by bellringers with ropes and a keyboard. Luca went to play these bells, after I had written to the parish priest. He became friends with the custodian and we returned the following week to document these bells: from the bell tower there is one of the most beautiful views in the valley! A legend tells of the treasure hidden in Oropa. When the lucky hiding place was inspected, it was found to be empty. #italy #bells #church #bell #culture #landscape #friends #catholic #catholicchurch #keyboard #mountain #view