Santa Maria della Quercia

About

The Basilica of Santa Maria della Quercia is a Renaissance-style, Roman Catholic sanctuary church and minor basilica, about two kilometer outside of the center of Viterbo, on the road to Bagnaia, in the Region of Lazio, Italy.

History: In 1417, a local artist painted an icon of the Virgin following the design of a local painter Maestro Martello. The image was placed on an oak tree in the countryside, and became a source of veneration, which only increased in 1467 during a scourge of the plague. Miracles were attributed to the icon, and the image was ensconced in a chapel. An altar was erected in 1467 and a chapel commissioned by Pope Paul II. The chapel was initially affiliated with the Gesuati order, a Tuscan order which specialized in the aid to pilgrims. Within a few years, Franciscan monks substituted the priests of the Gesuati order and commissioned this larger church, built between 1470 and 1525. On the 8 of April 1578, the church was consecrated by the Cardinal Francesco de Gambara, who is buried in the church. The event was celebrated with a cycle of frescoes at the Palazzo dei Priori, Viterbo. The sanctuary acquired many patrons, including popes. The facade is built with...