Beata Vergine del Castello, Fiorano, Modena, Emilia-Romagna, Italy
In the 1400s, an image of the Madonna and Child was painted above the entrance of Fiorano Castle. The fortress was destroyed in 1510, but the painting of the Blessed Virgin remained intact, and a town arose in the ruins. On February 8, 1558, when Spanish troops set fire to the town, the flames, on reaching the image of Mary, divided so as not to harm it. So began the great devotion of the people of Fiorano for their Madonna, reinforced later by their liberation from the plague of 1630, which led to the building of the beautiful Sanctuary to the Virgin in thanksgiving. On October 12, 1659, the image of the Blessed Virgin of the Castle was translated to the Sanctuary built to the design of Bartolomeo Luigi Avanzino. The Virgin of the Castle is celebrated on September 8, feast of the Nativity of the Virgin. (Information from "'Beata Vergine del Castello' - Fiorano - Modena," www.mariadinazareth.it. Picture from Carla Conti, "Fiorano Modenese Sotto il piazzale del santuario riemergono i resti del Castello distrutto nel ‘500," July 15, 2008, Soprintendenza Archeologica, www.archeobo.arti.beniculturali.it.)