Shrine of Our Lady of Europe (Italy)
The Shrine of Our Lady of Europe (Italian: Santuario di Nostra Signora d'Europa) is a Roman Catholic shrine at Campodolcino, Italy. It is devoted to Our Lady of Europe (Italian: Madonna d'Europa) and is currently the headquarters of the European Ecumenical Centre for Peace.
History
During the late 1950s, Catholic sectors felt that the Europeist movements would need a Catholic dimmension and thought of placing Europe under the protection of the Blessed Virgin Mary. However, they were unaware that such a devotion was already in existence, albeit at a local level, in the British territory of Gibraltar (where the original Shrine devoted to Our Lady still exists to this day) and to a lesser extent in some neighbouring locations in Spain. The movement, supported by the Archbishop of Milan, decided to place a statue in the region of the Italian Alps, which marks the hydrological centre of Europe, since it was the watershed separating the basins of the rivers Rhine, Danube and Po.
The monument was blessed by the Archbishop of Milan Giovanni Montini (later Pope Paul VI) on 14 September 1958.
Statue
A 13 metres (43 ft) high statue in honour of Our Lady of Europe was erected at 2,000 metres (6,600 ft) above sea level in Motta, a frazione of the comune of Campodolcino on the western slopes of the Valle Spluga to the north of Chiavenna. It is a gilt bronze statue, which was sculptured by Egidio Casagrande taking inspiration from the Shroud of Turin. The statue rests on a circular structure atop a sanctuary with an altar below. The structure weighs 4 tonnes (8,800 lb).
References
- Sanctuary of Our Lady of Europe (in Italian)
- Charles Caruana, Bishop of Gibraltar. "Historical Notes On Our Lady of Europe, based on History of Our Lady of Europe. Chapter 14: Our Lady In The Centre Of Europe".