E. Sanctuary of the Madonna della Riva

Audio narration by eArsE. Sanctuary of the Madonna della Riva (Don Valentino Venezia DV)N: Have you ever seen a church that extends onto to the shore of a lake to the point of almost being lapped by its waters? No? Well, it is anything but simple to build!The people of Angera know this well. In the seventeenth century, they tried to build the Sanctuary of the Madonna della Riva. According to the original plan, the church was supposed to extend to the edge of the lake but construction had to be halted, due to the enormous costs and the structural risks caused by water infiltration.What we see today is just the presbytery of the large sacred building that had been planned.Despite its reduced size, this place holds a work of great significance: a fifteenth-century fresco of the Madonna nursing the child.A legend surrounds this work and Don Valentino Venezia is here to tell us about it.DV: “Actually, it’s not a legend. It’s history—the history of a miracle.It happened in long-ago 1657. The fresco wasn’t here in those days, it had originally been painted on the wall of a private home. Twice that year, the image of the Madonna was reported to have shed real tears of blood from her forehead and cheeks..The Sanctuary of the Madonna della Riva was built as a tribute to that miracle and now preserves the fresco.To commemorate the event, a procession is held every year on the 27th of June — the date of the first miraculous weeping.It’s a unique ritual that expresses our deep connection with Lake Maggiore.In the evening, after Mass at the sanctuary, a procession of illuminated boats departs from the church and heads toward Isolino Partegora.The lights of the boats can be seen dotted across the lake, creating a really evocative night-time scene.When they reach the island, a prayer is offered to Saint Arialdo.In fact, the day of the procession marks not only the date of the miracle but also the date of the saint’s martyrdom, which is thought to have taken place on Isolino Partegora.”