Street Cugnolo - 23017 Paniga SO
The small church dedicated to Our Lady of Graces was blessed in 1866, when Paniga was a small cluster of houses at the foot of the mountain known as Colma di Dazio, which marks the boundary between low and middle Valtellina.
The inhabitants of the valley greatly preferred living in the villages scattered across the slopes, such as Campovico Desco or Dazio, where the earth bore bounteous fruits without being subject to the whims of the river. However, farmers did occasionally descend to cultivate pastures on the valley floor. And the Adda also had its fish ponds, created by building dams to trap the trout that swam up the river from Lake Como in search of food and to lay their eggs.
Paniga was thus inhabited by farmers and fishermen and village life revolved around the shop of the prestino (baker), the fountain, the covered lavoir, and this miniscule church sized according to need.
During the 20th century, various industries took root on the valley floor and the population began to grow. At that point the need was felt to build a modern church, which was consecrated in 1979. After the construction of the new church, this small one was referred to as the gèsa vèsgia [old church].
The church stands on Via Valeriana, an old road that hugs the bottom of the rugged slope. The very simple façade faces north, overlooking the small parvis, and two small windows afford glimpses of the interior. The generalities of the church are immediately announced in large letters: “benedetta 19.11.1866 / dedicata alla / b.v. delle grazie”. There is a recess above the entrance containing a maternal fresco of the Madonna and Child amid Snowcapped Mountains (1867).
Entering the church, you breathe the domestic atmosphere of bygone times.
On the steps to the altar, a lovely wooden aedicula painted to resemble marble holds the wooden statue of Mary Immaculate that was originally in the niche above the door to the bell tower. The statue was moved after the new church was inaugurated, swapping positions with a small painting of the Nursing Madonna.
The statues of the Sacred Heart of Jesus and Saint Joseph are gifts from devout townsfolk. The most original mark, however, was left by someone who had neon tubes fashioned into the initials GR (Grazia Ricevuta, in gratitude for grace received from the Madonna) and placed them in full view on top of the aedicula between two astounded cherubs.
Mass is rarely celebrated here, but the door is always open to those who seek a moment of meditation or prayer.
