Basilica Santuario della "Madonna della Guardia" is a sacred church in Tortona, Alessandria Italy. It is an ancient place built by Don Luigi Orione out of devotion to the Virgin Mary. He built this place as a dedication to Mother Mary. that looks like no other Moreover, the body of the saint is preserved in the church.
During the years of the war there was a Christian movement in Tortona. The poor classes are weakened. Orinone felt the need to restore hope by building faith and devotion to the Virgin Mary. In 1918, he purchased a statue of the Virgin Mary and traveled to see it. The ceremony took place with the Guardia on August 28 in Tortona and was celebrated the next day. This makes this place a celebration every year.
And this was my first time entering this temple. Every time I come to this city, the main feature that is clearly visible from far away is the beautiful golden-yellow Madonna statue. And I've wanted to go to this place many times but never been able to, and this time was considered a good day. It's a day of celebration with the event starting on the 29th and I went on the 30th.
I'm very excited. Because there is a festival too When we found a parking space, we walked to this church. In front is the entrance. In it there are chants similar to music. There are people sitting in it. When you walk in, use the water and pay respects. which I am not a Christian I don't know much about these rituals. But I like to see and learn new things. Because every religion teaches you to be a good person. Then they continued walking, not far from each other. On the leg was a clear glass casket decorated with colorful flowers.
There was a soulless body lying there. The front was placed with a candle that served as a fire stand. When the coin is finished, put a candle in it and the light will light up. The soulless body seen there It is the body of the saint of Don Orione, who built the cathedral. The body that was seen showed no decomposition. You can walk a few steps to get a closer look. Then he continued walking along the path. The atmosphere of this church is decorated with photo frames that are souvenirs from each family, beautifully decorated.
And walked to the center point, a statue of the Virgin Mary This is the first time I've done something like this. I feel strange but happy. After I finished placing the candles at this point, I looped my hands around the size of a statue, saluting them, and then I walked around to look around. In the meantime, there was music and singing. I'm not sure if it was chants or not. Contains piano music. Then walked away
There is a tower to go up. And I definitely want to go up there sometime. We walked to the back and there was an entrance with a sign. When you walk in, the entrance is a coin-operated area. It's 2 euros to walk in. When we entered, there was an elevator in front and stairs. We chose to walk up the stairs. Keep walking up. Until the exit door to go see the view Luckily, it was evening and we saw the sun set. The picture before us was very beautiful.
Looking from above to below They are marching. The pictures from above are beautiful. In addition to the view of the city, there is also a view of the hills. You can see the surroundings and look beautiful. I took both photos and video and could only see a fraction of the statue from this point. And I walked up to the next floor. This floor was a bit close, but the balcony was open and I was a little scared. Up there, the atmosphere is very good. The wind is blowing just right. I am very happy And while I want to go up again I saw a small staircase going up, but unfortunately the door was closed.
The bell is very loud. This is what we often hear even from a distance. But at that time we were up there, which was the closest. The sound was so loud that you had to stand still. I was very excited, happy, saw the bell up close and with the sound.
Then they walked down. to continue walking around the event below Around there There are many shops selling food, toys, sweets, and there are more people in the evening.
We walked around admiring the atmosphere of this festival until 10:00 p.m. when fireworks were set off. Meanwhile, I walked towards the most obvious corner. I follow other people to stand and watch the fireworks It's so beautiful It's a pity that if we were in the tower at this time, it would definitely be obvious that there were a lot of people. There were a lot of fireworks seen. Standing and watching happily Then it was time to go home.
And this is my brief history and moments at Basilica Santuario della Madonna della Guardia It was a very exciting and happy time. Something new that I had done that I wanted to see was seen. Hope everyone likes my post. Thank you for following. Have a great time.
- Photography : @miingjazz
- Location : Tortona, Italy
