Le campane del Santuario di Rho (MI) - Venerdì Santo

In 1522, the horse of a noble man from Gallarate stopped at the crossroads of the main road, saving him from a deadly ambush that awaited him. In gratitude for the grace received, he had a chapel built dedicated to the Virgin Mary, who wept blood on 24 April 1583 in front of two people from the village and then in front of the entire population, who witnessed the event. Archbishop Saint Charles Borromeo opened a dossier and ascertained the supernaturalness of the event: it was a true miracle. The following year, he had the grandiose sanctuary built, the last church the saint wanted before his death. In 1586, the sanctuary in Rho (Italy) was opened for worship, although it was still under construction. The old Miracle Chapel was incorporated into the apse of the new sanctuary, remaining accessible from the outside. In the 17th century, the decoration of the side chapels began, which was made possible by rich donations from the town's nobility. In 1694 the foundations were laid for the construction of the majestic quadriporticus, which could not be realised due to the theft of the marbles by Napoleon and the French army. On 2 January 1714, the priest Giorgio Maria Martinelli settled in the shrine, founding the Oblate missionaries still present today in the large adjoining college. Between 1752 and 1764, the dome was built, while the 75-metre high bell tower was completed in 1759, thanks to a donation from a priest. In the 19th century, the sanctuary was embellished with a remarkable pictorial cycle, including the famous painted crib to be assembled. The construction of the sanctuary was completed in 1888, when the majestic concert of ten bells in the scale of A major, cast by the Barigozzi brothers of Milan and weighing almost 11 tonnes, was mounted on the tower. On 3 February 1923, Pope Pius XI elevated the shrine to the dignity of a Roman basilica. A - B - c' sharp - (d') - (e') - (f' sharp) - (g' sharp) - (a') - (b') - (c'' sharp) The three largest bells are ringing, recovering the ancient Holy Week tradition of ringing a few larger bells to emphasise the centrality of the salvation event that comes from Easter with the death and resurrection of Christ. #church #catholic #bells #cinematic #landscape #easter #italy #bell #catholicchurch #shrine #view #friday #death