Orselina Basilika Madonna del Sasso Innen Altar 1

The Madonna del Sasso is a

sanctuary A sanctuary, in its original meaning, is a sacred place, such as a shrine. By the use of such places as a haven, by extension the term has come to be used for any place of safety. This secondary use can be categorized into human sanctuary, a sa ...

and

pilgrimage church A pilgrimage church (german: Wallfahrtskirche) is a church to which pilgrimages are regularly made, or a church along a pilgrimage route, like the Way of St. James, that is visited by pilgrims. Pilgrimage churches are often located by the grave ...

Orselina Orselina is a municipality in the district of Locarno in the canton of Ticino in Switzerland. History Orselina is first mentioned in 1182 as ''Concilio Meziano''. In 1323 it was mentioned as ''Orsarina''. During the Middle Ages and into the Ea ...

, above the city of

Locarno , neighboring_municipalities= Ascona, Avegno, Cadenazzo, Cugnasco, Gerra (Verzasca), Gambarogno, Gordola, Lavertezzo, Losone, Minusio, Muralto, Orselina, Tegna, Tenero-Contra , twintowns =* Gagra, Georgia * Karlovy Vary, Czech Republic ...

in Switzerland. It is the principal sight and goal of pilgrimage in the city. The founding of the sanctuary goes back to a vision of the Virgin Mary that the Franciscan brother Bartolomeo d'Ivrea experienced in the night of 14/15 August 1480. The interior is highly decorated, and a platform has views of the city. The sanctuary is linked to Locarno city centre by the

Locarno–Madonna del Sasso funicular The Locarno–Madonna del Sasso funicular, or ''Funicolare Locarno–Madonna del Sasso'' (FLMS) is a funicular railway near the city of Locarno in the Swiss canton of Ticino. The line links a lower station in the city center with the pilgrimage ...

. On 14 August 1880, the Vatican Chapter under

Pope Leo XIII Pope Leo XIII ( it, Leone XIII; born Vincenzo Gioacchino Raffaele Luigi Pecci; 2 March 1810 – 20 July 1903) was the head of the Catholic Church from 20 February 1878 to his death in July 1903. Living until the age of 93, he was the second-old ...

crowned the venerated image via Papal legate Paolo Angelo Ballerini, following festivities of August 15–16, marking the 400 years of its Marian apparition.

External links

*
Sanctuary of the Madonna del Sasso
(ticino.ch)
Associazione Pro Restauro Madonna del Sasso
Shrines to the Virgin Mary Cultural property of national significance in Ticino Tourist attractions in Ticino Churches in Ticino Roman Catholic shrines in Switzerland {{Switzerland-RC-church-stub