- Art & Culture
- Religious Tourism
Il Santuario della Madonna del Perello
Santuario della Madonna di Perello, previously known as "Oratorio della Beata Vergine Maria ad Elisabetta nel Bosco del Perello", is on the road from Selvino to Valle Serina, and is one of the oldest sanctuaries in the province of Bergamo.
On 2 July 1413, once the date for the celebration for the Visitation of Mary, farmer Ruggero Gianforte De Grigis from Rigosa was on Monte Perello cutting hay.
All of a sudden, he saw a beautiful woman. At first, he wasn’t certain about what he was seeing, so he paid no respects. The second time she appeared, the good farmer took off his hat and knelt in front of her.
In the face of this gesture, the Madonna spoke, asking Ruggero to tell his townspeople to build a church in that spot, in honour and veneration of her visit to Santa Elisabetta.
In her third and fourth apparitions, in order to confirm her desires and win over the incredulous neighbours, the Madonna made an olive branch grow out of the stump of an old dry beech tree.
The inhabitants of Rigosa and Sambusita, upon the invitation of the seer, came to the spot, saw the miracle with their own eyes and got to work. And so, they began to build the first of the three churches that today make up the complex of the sanctuary. The first church enclosed the beech stump with the olive branch.
INFORMATION FOR PILGRIMS
Santuario del Perello is located in the parish of Algua, Valle Serina, in the province of Bergamo.
It can be reached by car and coach by taking the SP 28 Algua-Selvino, going through the town of Sambusita di Algua heading towards Passata. It can also be reached from Miragolo San Salvatore, or directly from Selvino, by going through Passata.
food and drink
In the Sanctuary complex is also a small café for pilgrims, with the ancient name of “Canea”. For information and booking, please contact:
Claudio mobile: 335-679-1596
Donatella mobile: 292-703-7961
Opening hours