Qualla: Sanctuary of Vicoforte https://qualla.com/sanctuary-of-vicoforte en-us © 2026 Bendyline Mon, 20 Jul 2026 10:21:30 GMT Qualla serial false Qualla support@bendyline.com yes https://qualla.com/_m/s/p/v/s/sanctuary-of-vicoforte-wp/hero-small.webp Qualla: Sanctuary of Vicoforte https://qualla.com/sanctuary-of-vicoforte Sanctuary of Vicoforte: Introduction https://qualla.com/sanctuary-of-vicoforte/ Photo credit Maurizio Codogno, it:Utente:.mau., CC BY-SA 3.0. Around 1590, a huntsman's stray shot struck a roadside fresco of the Madonna and Child near the village of Vicoforte in Piedmont. According to legend, the image began to bleed. Whether the bleeding was miracle or metaphor, the penitent huntsman left his arquebus at the shrine and began collecting money to repair the damage and atone for his sin. That act of contrition set in motion a construction project that would take nearly three centuries to complete and produce the largest elliptical dome ever built.

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Image: Maurizio Codogno, it:Utente:.mau. | CC BY-SA 3.0

]]> Fri, 13 Mar 2026 00:00:00 GMT https://qualla.com/_m/s/p/v/s/sanctuary-of-vicoforte-wp/spvs-sanctuary-of-vicoforte-intro.mp3 0:06 1 full Sanctuary of Vicoforte: A Duke's Ambition, an Architect's Death https://qualla.com/sanctuary-of-vicoforte/ Photo credit Calcaterra, Public domain. The story of the Sanctuary of Vicoforte is a story of interrupted grandeur. The modest pilgrimage site attracted the attention of Charles Emmanuel I, Duke of Savoy, who visited and conceived a plan to build a monumental church worthy of the miracle -- and of his own burial. In 15...

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Image: Calcaterra | Public domain

]]> Fri, 13 Mar 2026 00:00:00 GMT https://qualla.com/_m/s/p/v/s/sanctuary-of-vicoforte-wp/spvs-sanctuary-of-vicoforte-a-dukes-ambition-an-architects-death.mp3 0:06 2 full Sanctuary of Vicoforte: The Dome That Shouldn't Stand https://qualla.com/sanctuary-of-vicoforte/ Photo credit Samuel Varrin, CC BY-SA 4.0. When construction resumed in the eighteenth century, architect Francesco Gallo took on the challenge of completing Vitozzi's vision. He designed the great elliptical dome that defines the sanctuary, with major and minor diameters of approximately 36 and 25 meters. The engineering...

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Image: Samuel Varrin | CC BY-SA 4.0

]]> Fri, 13 Mar 2026 00:00:00 GMT https://qualla.com/_m/s/p/v/s/sanctuary-of-vicoforte-wp/spvs-sanctuary-of-vicoforte-the-dome-that-shouldnt-stand.mp3 0:06 3 full Sanctuary of Vicoforte: Six Thousand Square Meters of Heaven https://qualla.com/sanctuary-of-vicoforte/ Photo credit Geobia, CC BY-SA 4.0. The dome's vault encompasses 6,032 square meters of frescoed surface, completed in 1752 by painters Mattia Bortoloni and Felice Biella. The frescoes depict celestial scenes with the Virgin Mary surrounded by angels, saints, and musical figures. Looking up from the nave, the paint...

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Image: Geobia | CC BY-SA 4.0

]]> Fri, 13 Mar 2026 00:00:00 GMT https://qualla.com/_m/s/p/v/s/sanctuary-of-vicoforte-wp/spvs-sanctuary-of-vicoforte-six-thousand-square-meters-of-heaven.mp3 0:06 4 full Sanctuary of Vicoforte: A King Comes Home https://qualla.com/sanctuary-of-vicoforte/ Photo credit SonoGrazy, CC BY-SA 4.0. On 15 December 2017, the remains of Queen Elena of Italy were quietly transferred from Montpellier, France, to the chapel of San Bernardo inside the sanctuary. Two days later, the remains of King Vittorio Emanuele III arrived from St. Catherine's Cathedral in Alexandria, Egypt, w...

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Image: SonoGrazy | CC BY-SA 4.0

]]> Fri, 13 Mar 2026 00:00:00 GMT https://qualla.com/_m/s/p/v/s/sanctuary-of-vicoforte-wp/spvs-sanctuary-of-vicoforte-a-king-comes-home.mp3 0:06 5 full