LIVO – Beate Vergine a mezza costa

Posted byVirginia MerliniPosted inUncategorized
LIVO – Madonna Shrine on the road to Naro and Peglio

I had an incredible day today but it did not go as planned. I was in Livo for a walk to Baggio when it began to rain – pour actually. So I decided to explore a frazione where walking in the rain only required an umbrella and not am umbrella and walking sticks. As I drove out of town I recalled a campaign to restore the roof of a small chapel on the road into Livo – the Beate Vergine a mezza costa – Blessed Virgin of the Mid-Coast. I think the name refers to the face of the mountain. I had bought a candle and a card in the Chiesa di San Giacomo Nuova yesterday to contribute and I decided to stop and see what the Madonna shrine held. The once beautiful fresco was gone and replaced by a modern statue of the Madonna of Grace standing on a small altar.

LIVO – Madonna shrine – the modern statue replaces the eroded fresco

There were photos and offerings and the remains of a starry ceiling.

LIVO – Madonna shrine – the starry ceiling
LIVO – Madonna shrine – offering and requests

And on the right side of the altar was an image of the Virgin that looked like a child had painted it. But I found it charming because it reminded me of the 5th-century icon of the Virgin that is in Rome housed in the Chiesa di Santa Maria Francesca. It is called the Madonna Glycophilousa – Our Lady of Tenderness. One cannot view the precious icon but a reproduction of it hangs in the church that was its original home – Chiesa di Santa Maria Antiqua. Built in the 5th-century and located in the Roman Forum it was the only access to the imperial palaces of the Palatine Hill. The wealthy had to pass through this church to get to their palazzi. Here are the two Virgins – one modern and the other ancient. I think both are lovely.

LIVO & ROME – On top – the painting of the Madonna found in Livo. On the bottom – the reproduced 5th-century icon – Madonna Glycophilousa – Our Lady of Tenderness – found hanging on the altar of Chiesa di Santa Maria Antiqua

Published by Virginia Merlini

I am a retired academic - a sociologist, sociolinguist, ethnographer, and photo-ethnographer. I am building this website and blog to share my passion for the public and private art of Italy. My main focus is on the Wall Madonna. The concept ‘Wall Madonna’ is my own. It is the name I give to the art found on the external walls of many of the homes of the locals which depicts Mary – the woman called Theotokos – God-bearer. I use Wall Madonna to refer to those images frescoed on the outside of homes and public buildings, or the paintings, carvings and statuary attached to the same. My intent is to examine Wall Madonna’s as a type of visual language and gesture in order to come to an understanding of their function and purpose in Italian social life. In searching for Wall Madonna’s I try to present a broader harvest of my quest so that the towns and cities I visit are frescoed for the reader in my blogs. Therefore, I like to include streetscapes, doors – which have a language of their own, vistas, and the life of the people as reflected in the things one sees as one peruses a town. Because my family is from the Valtellina and because the valley is lush and beautiful and steeped in history - and an abundance of Wall Madonna’s – I have a small home here. I love the Valtellina. I hope my photos capture your attention. There is no greater joy than sharing this art with others.

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