Sacro Cuore di Gesù (

Italian Italian(s) may refer to: * Anything of, from, or related to the people of Italy over the centuries ** Italians, an ethnic group or simply a citizen of the Italian Republic or Italian Kingdom ** Italian language, a Romance language *** Regional Ita ...

: ''Sacred Heart of Jesus'') is a

minor basilica In the Catholic Church, a basilica is a designation given by the Pope to a church building. Basilicas are distinguished for ceremonial purposes from other churches. The building need not be a basilica in the architectural sense (a rectangular ...

Grosseto Grosseto () is a city and ''comune'' in the central Italian region of Tuscany, the capital of the Province of Grosseto. The city lies from the Tyrrhenian Sea, in the Maremma, at the centre of an alluvial plain on the Ombrone river. It is the m ...

Tuscany Tuscany ( ; it, Toscana ) is a Regions of Italy, region in central Italy with an area of about and a population of about 3.8 million inhabitants. The regional capital is Florence (''Firenze''). Tuscany is known for its landscapes, history, art ...

Italy Italy ( it, Italia ), officially the Italian Republic, ) or the Republic of Italy, is a country in Southern Europe. It is located in the middle of the Mediterranean Sea, and its territory largely coincides with the homonymous geographical re ...

. The church was commissioned by the

bishop of Grosseto The Diocese of Grosseto ( la, Dioecesis Grossetana) is a Roman Catholic ecclesiastical territory in Italy, a suffragan of the archdiocese of Siena-Colle di Val d'Elsa-Montalcino, in Tuscany. Its current bishop is Giovanni Roncari, OFMCap.s>Ott ...

Paolo Galeazzi, who intended to pay homage to the fallen in the 1943 Grosseto bombing., for more on the 1943 bombing, see Strategic bombing during World War II § Bombing in Italy On 26 April 1943, the day of

Easter Monday Easter Monday refers to the day after Easter Sunday in either the Eastern or Western Christian traditions. It is a public holiday in some countries. It is the second day of Eastertide. In Western Christianity, it marks the second day of the Octa ...

, the city was bombed by the Americans, who concentrated on targeting civilians. 134 civilians died that day, especially children who were playing in a

funfair A fair (archaic: faire or fayre) is a gathering of people for a variety of entertainment or commercial activities. Fairs are typically temporary with scheduled times lasting from an afternoon to several weeks. Types Variations of fairs incl ...

set up outside the

city walls A defensive wall is a fortification usually used to protect a city, town or other settlement from potential aggressors. The walls can range from simple palisades or earthworks to extensive military fortifications with towers, bastions and gates ...

. The monumental building was designed by engineer

Ernesto Ganelli Ernesto Ganelli (24 February 1901 – 9 September 1985) was an Italian civil engineer who designed various public and religious buildings in Tuscany. Biography Born in Alessandria, Ganelli graduated in civil engineering at the Sapienza Universi ...

. Construction began in 1954 and was completed in four years. On 26 April 1958, anniversary of the bombing, bishop Paolo Galeazzi consecrated the church, which was elevated to

pope Pius XII Pope Pius XII ( it, Pio XII), born Eugenio Maria Giuseppe Giovanni Pacelli (; 2 March 18769 October 1958), was head of the Catholic Church and sovereign of the Vatican City State from 2 March 1939 until his death in October 1958. Before his e ...

on 6 June. Sacro Cuore di Gesù is decorated with bronze sculptures by artist Tolomeo Faccendi. The decorations include the fourteen

stations of the Cross The Stations of the Cross or the Way of the Cross, also known as the Way of Sorrows or the Via Crucis, refers to a series of images depicting Jesus Christ on the day of Crucifixion of Jesus, his crucifixion and accompanying prayers. The station ...

(1954–55) in the nave-aisles, the '' four Evangelists'' (1957) on the main facade, the '' Christ the Redeemer'' (1958) on the top of the

dome A dome () is an architectural element similar to the hollow upper half of a sphere. There is significant overlap with the term cupola, which may also refer to a dome or a structure on top of a dome. The precise definition of a dome has been a m ...

, and the ''

Pietà The Pietà (; meaning "pity", "compassion") is a subject in Christian art depicting the Virgin Mary cradling the dead body of Jesus after his body was removed from the cross. It is most often found in sculpture. The Pietà is a specific form o ...

'' (1960) inside the

crypt A crypt (from Latin ''crypta'' "vault") is a stone chamber beneath the floor of a church or other building. It typically contains coffins, sarcophagi, or religious relics. Originally, crypts were typically found below the main apse of a chur ...

. The crypt is also decorated with the names of those who died in all

World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposin ...

bombings in Grosseto; bishop Galeazzi, who died in 1971, has been buried into the crypt.

References

External links

* 20th-century Roman Catholic church buildings in Italy Sacro Cuore Buildings and structures completed in 1958 Churches completed in 1958 Roman Catholic churches in Grosseto {{Italy-church-stub