Via Patrioti, 5 23034 Grosotto (SO)
In the 15th century, the Bündner (people of the Swiss canton of Graubünden or Grisons) took control of the passes north of Valtellina and descended to take the entire valley itself, which was renowned for its wines and would give them a corridor to Lake Como and the Po River Valley.
In 1486 they ravaged Chiavenna. The following year they invaded Bormio from Livigno and continued down the valley, laying waste as they went. The people of Grosotto, armed only with their faith in the Virgin Mary, went out to meet the Graubünden army, which spared their village as they continued southward. As a symbol of gratitude, the villagers immediately decided to build a church, which was consecrated in 1490 and became a locus of Marian faith for the surrounding area.
Little of the original church has survived; a few of the old walls were incorporated into the new structure when the church was rebuilt in the Baroque period. One important surviving element is the statue of the Virgin and Child, sculpted by Giacomo Del Maino and venerated for centuries on the main altar, now relocated to a side chapel.
The many votive offerings around the side entrances and behind the main altar are a tangible expression of the intensity of local devotion.
The new sanctuary, built between 1609 and 1664 based on plans by Gaspare Aprile da Carona, a builder from Canton Ticino, is a perfect example of a counter-reformist church with a single nave, shallow side chapels, and a square presbytery. Externally, it is a compact volume with a tall façade. The corners, cornice, and door and windows are finished in local pietra verde, which also embellishes the bell tower. Inside, the splendid carved furnishings in wood stand out against the clean lines of the walls.
The monumental altarpiece (1673-80) rises more than 10 meters and is notable for the number of statues it contains. It is considered to be a masterpiece of Pietro Ramus, who ran a famous bottega in Valcamonica but also did a great deal of work in Valtellina.
An exquisitely crafted organ is installed above the side entrance on the left. It was begun in 1706 by Paolo Scalvini of Brescia, who worked on it for a couple of years and then disappeared. Recovering from their dismay, in 1713 the administrators entrusted its completion to Giovan Battista Del Piaz, a refined sculptor from Trentino who had moved to Valtellina.
The chapels are enclosed by elegant railings and the altars are almost all trompe-l’œil, that is, they are two-dimensional, painted on the walls amid cascades of flowers (1764). The illusory effect continues onto the ceiling, which opens onto blue skies populated with bands of angels: a spectacular tribute to Our Lady of the Assumption painted after World War I by the Valtellina artist Eliseo Fumagalli of Delebio (1921-22).
