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Sanctuary of Madonna del Frassino
- Category What see Lake Garda and Verona
Sanctuary of Madonna del Frassino in Peschiera del Garda.
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The Sanctuary of Our Lady of the Ash Tree
The Sanctuary of Our Lady of the Ash Tree, a jewel of faith and art in Peschiera del Garda, is reached via a majestic avenue lined with centuries‑old cypresses. Built between 1511 and 1514 in late‑Renaissance style, the church features an elegant Doric portico. It commemorates a miracle on 11 May 1510, when the Virgin appeared to the farmhand Bartolomeo Broglia in an ash grove outside Peschiera and left a small terracotta statuette. The foundation stone was laid on 10 September 1511.
The single‑aisled interior boasts eight side altars and two chapels—the Blessed Sacrament and the Apparition—rich in 17th‑century stuccowork and canvases. Despite sackings, fires and earthquakes, the sanctuary has always been restored with care; the most recent campaign (1996‑1998) revived its early‑Baroque colour scheme and 1930s Art‑Deco decorations.
What to See at the Sanctuary of Our Lady of the Ash Tree
The Exterior
At the end of the cypress avenue, against the backdrop of Garda’s morainic hills, opens the sanctuary square. Two colonnades, added in 1959, echo the 17th‑century façade portico and frame the space: the right wing edges the historic cemetery, while the left adjoins the Franciscan convent (built 1926, later enlarged). The gabled façade has been altered several times; the present upper section, dominated by a circular rose window, dates from early‑20th‑century refurbishments.
The Doric Portico
The lower façade is fronted by a three‑bay Doric portico documented in 1642, already decorated then with frescoes probably by Bernardino Muttoni and his son. The lunettes illustrate the miracle: on the left, Peschiera’s archpriest seeks the statuette that mysteriously returned to the ash tree; on the right, a procession of devotees moves toward the newly built wayside shrine.
The Interior
A simple trabeated marble portal with 15th‑century‑style capitals leads into a nave covered by barrel vaults pierced by lunettes for natural light. On the high altar stands the statuette of the Apparition: a 14‑cm polychrome terracotta Virgin, crowned and nursing the Child while gathering her mantle. Artistic highlights include Paolo Farinati’s Madonna and Child with Saints (1570); Saint Francis in Ecstasy by Palma il Giovane; and Giambettino Cignaroli’s allegorical frescoes (1746). The choir stalls, carved in 1687 by friar Giuseppe da Peschiera, are a masterpiece of Franciscan woodwork.
The Convent and Cloister
Adjoining the church, a square cloister encloses a 1585 well and lunettes frescoed with episodes from Saint Francis’s life. On the upper floor, the votive hall preserves more than 400 ex‑votos painted between the 17th and 20th centuries, powerful testimony to popular devotion to Our Lady of the Ash Tree.
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