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Small gems of spirituality |
There really are a great many sanctuaries and shrines in the province. Some of the most interesting or rich in art works include: the sanctuary of the Madonna delle Grazie, situated in the heart of the historic centre of Ardesio, in the upper Seriana Valley, which attracts many visitors due to its splendid decorations.
Another very striking place of worship in the Seriana Valley is the sanctuary of San Patrizio, built on a spur of rock near Colzate. The building, which also includes a fourteenth century church, is at the centre of folk tales and legends that speak of a very deep well, which leads from the sanctuary to the River Serio.
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Video: Faith and traditions in Bergamo and local area |
Other building rich in spirituality and history is the Abbey of Pontida, an exquisite Benedictine monastery founded by Alberto da Prezzate in the twelfth century, and site of the historic oath of 1167.
Other more unusual places include the sanctuary of Nostra Signora delle Lacrime (Our Lady of Tears) in Ponte Nossa, which features a embalmed crocodile hanging as a votive offering, or the sanctuary of Sombreno, on the hills of Bergamo, which houses the rib of a mammoth found in the surrounding clay soil, initially worshipped as a relic.
The most important is the Santuario di Caravaggio, which is the third most visited shrine in Italy. In the mountains in Valle Imagna stands the Santuario della Cornabusa, located in a natural rock grotto and one of the places where Bishop Angelo Roncalli, later to become Pope John XXIII used to come and pray.
His birthplace, Sotto il Monte, still attracts pilgrims from far and near. As though on a journey back through time, you can see the places where he spent his childhood, the house where he was born, the church where he was christened, the environment in which he grew up until he left to enter the seminary in Bergamo, a seminary which still today bears his name.
Travelling up through the valleys, in Clusone in the Valle Seriana, are some of the most important religious buildings in the Bergamo area: the Basilica di Santa Maria Assunta, dating from the seventeenth century and alongside it the fifteenth century church known as the Chiesa dei Disciplini, with frescoes depicting the life of Christ.
On its façade is painted a ‘Danza Macabra’ or Macabre Dance, dating back to the 1400s and representing the vanity of man. The main square in Clusone is well-known for its clock by Fanzago, showing the movement of the planets. Built in the sixteenth century it’s still in working order today. Another aspect of Clusone is its folklore. Its carnival, masques and costumes bring a note of color, light and music to the town.
Returning towards the plains, on the road linking Bergamo and Lecco is the charming Monastery of Pontida: a well-known destination for pilgrimages and which houses a group of Benedictine monks.
In the Upper Town, the historical centre of Bergamo, the Basilica of St Mary Major, built in the first half of the 12th century, is a real treasure house, containing many works of art. Next to it stands the Colleoni Chapel, a mausoleum built on the orders of the Bergamasque military commander – or condottiero – for himself and his daughter Medea.
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