Re, Piedmont

Re is a municipality with 771 inhabitants (as at 31 December 2012) in the Italian province of Verbano -Cusio -Ossola (VB ), Region Piedmont.

Geography

The place is located in the Valle Vigezzo, near the border with the Swiss canton of Ticino, where the valley Cento Valli is mentioned. Re is a famous pilgrimage site with rail connection ( Cento Valli train) to Domodossola ( about 20 miles west) and Locarno in Switzerland ( 20 km east ).

The neighboring municipalities are Craveggia, Cursolo - Orasso, Malesco and Villette.

Traffic

The village lies on the Cento Valli train from Locarno to Domodossola.

Attractions

The Sanctuary of the Madonna del Sangue basically consists of two church buildings. The older part, built 1606-1628, is a single-nave basilica with a portico. This church, dedicated to San Maurizio, was constructed to replace an earlier building smaller and has the altar with the image of the bleeding Madonna (Madonna del Sangue ). The Madonna recalls the miracle of 29 April 1494. An angry citizens of Re, who had previously been unsuccessful in the game, had thrown a stone at the portrait of the Madonna. Thereafter, this portrait is said to have wept tears of blood for 20 days.

Directly afterwards, without physical separation, the second, much larger church is from the 20th century. Even from here, the altar to be seen with the bleeding Madonna. Towards the end of the 19th century, 400 years after the miracle of Re, the sanctuary was no longer large enough to accommodate all the pilgrims. The former pastor Don Giovanni Antonio Peretti, therefore campaigned vigorously for the construction of a larger sanctuary. First had to be demolished some houses and stables for the imposing religious building. 1922 could finally be made the foundation stone was laid under the direction of originating from Bologna architects Edoardo Collamarini. The inauguration of the new, highly visible pilgrimage church with Byzantine domes and neo-Gothic pointed arches was held by the Bishop of Novara on August 5, 1958.

The Miracle of Re is celebrated annually. Between 29 April and 1 May, a pilgrimage takes place which begins in Domodossola.

Pictures

Portico directly adjacent to the pilgrimage church from the 17th century with the Madonna as an altar

General view of the Sanctuary, left of the portico of the older church building from the 17th century

Re Sanctuary, new building from 1958, interior

Re Sanctuary Inside

Re Sanctuary

Re pilgrimage church altar with the image of the Madonna, interior

Re Sanctuary Inside

Re Sanctuary Inside

Re Sanctuary, side entrance of the new building in neo-Gothic style

Curiosities

With four other municipalities Re is one of the Italian cities with the shortest, consisting only of two-letter name. The other communities are Lu, Ne, Ro and Vo.

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