Shrine of Madonna della Guardia
Resort: Perloz
Opening days and times
Ppening 2024
Open every Sunday from the first Sunday of May to the last Sunday of September: from 2.30pm to 5pm with the recitation of the Holy Rosary at 3.30pm
During the holidays:
- August 15, Assumption of the Virgin Mary: Holy Mass at 9am and 10.30am and the Holy Rosary at 4pm
- 7 September, special opening on the occasion of the evening procession to the Sanctuary: Holy Mass at 9pm
- 8 September, Nativity of the Virgin Mary - Patron Saint: Holy Mass at 9am and 10.30am and recitation of the Holy Rosary at 3:30pm
- 15 September, on the occasion of the Diocesian Pilgrimage: Holy Mass at the Shrine at 11am and at 2.30pm Eucharistic adoration
Possibility of visits for groups at other times, on reservation by contacting the Municipality at the phone numbers indicated in the “Contacts” section.
The first construction of the shrine seems to date back to the 12th century, given the casual finding of a statue of the Madonna, according to tradition, which was probably hidden during the era of the barbaric invasions. It was extended between 1715 and 1718.
The facade is very elegant, with a portico supported by four columns. The interior, frescoed in the nineteenth century by the Avondo brothers, was covered with ribbed vaults and small, votive squares and displays of popular faith and gratitude for the “grace received”. The three wooden altars from the eighteenth century and the statue of the miraculous Virgin Mary seated with Child (14th century) are worth noting. The inner windowsill of the facade, on the left, has an oval stone used as an “élémosinaire” or “chaplain”, with the inscription IHS and the Vallaise shield. The square in front of the church hosts a beautiful fountain with a column, a mask dated 1642, and a base dug from a single block of stone.
The back of the church has a bell-tower and a house for pilgrims, with an elegant portico with a view out towards the flatland.