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Sanctuary of the Basilica Della Ghiara in Reggio Emilia

Church dedicated to the "Blessed Ghiara Virgin". The construction of the Basilica is linked to the miracle which occurred on 29 April 1596 when the young Marchino, deaf and dumb from birth, was miraculously given the powers of speech and hearing while praying before an image of the Madonna painted by Bertone. In that spot, to the left of the church, today there is a marble memorial. The church's design is attributed to the Architect, Alessandro Balbi from Ferrara; it was built by Pacchioni Francesco from Reggio, who began construction in 1597.

A peculiarity of the Basilica is the extraordinary series of frescoes and altar pieces executed by the best artists of 17th century Emilia: Ludovico Carracci, Gianfrancesco Barbieri (Il Guercino), Lionello Spada, Alessandro Tiarini, Carlo Bononi and Luca Ferrari. The art guilds made valuable contributions: the stoup from the wool and silk craft guilds; the Municipality commissioned a work from Guercino which is held to be his masterpiece: the "Crucifixion of Christ with, at his feet, the Madonna and the Saints, Mary Magdalen, St. John and St. Prospero".

A sight not to be missed is the room holding the holy vestments and fabrics from the 16th to the 19th century; the Ghiara's treasures are composed of relics, monstrances, chalices, highly valuable votive offerings. Finally, the museum in which, among the precious items on show, there is Lelio Orsi's original design which inspired Bertone's fresco, and the crown donated by the Reggio Civic Committee to the Madonna.

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