The construction of the sanctuary at Adro is linked to a Marian apparition, details of which are recorded in the parish archives: on 8 July 1519, at a place called \u2018Oneto\u2019 (named for the numerous alders there), the Virgin Mary is said to have appeared to Battista Baioni, a mute child, to whom she restored his speech, urging him to persuade his fellow villagers to build a church in gratitude for the miracle that had taken place. An inscription, set into the cornu Evangelii near the chancel and dating from the mid-17th century, commemorates this miraculous event.<\/p>\n
Although the traditional name of Madonna della Neve, widely adopted by many shrines, is linked to the miraculous snowfall of 5 August 358, following which Pope Liberius was able to mark out the perimeter of the Church of Santa Maria Maggiore in Rome, the community of Adro chose to adopt this title, linking the sanctuary of Sancta Maria ad Nives de la Cava to the story of the miraculous snowfall that took place in the locality of \u2018Cava\u2019 on the day of the apparition.<\/p>\n
According to archival records, the original church must have been of a simpler and smaller scale: the present building is the result of a major construction project, necessitated by the need to accommodate a growing community and a larger influx of pilgrims. The new construction, undertaken with the approval of the Cardinal of Brescia, Angelo Maria Querini, began in 1752 according to the design of the architect Gaspare Antonio Turbini (1728\u20131802), who conceived a structure with a central cruciform plan, onto which the chancel is set, surmounted, at the intersection of the arms, by an octagonal dome with a high lantern, illuminated by circular oculi. The architecture is completed by a sober fa\u00e7ade of classical design, modelled on a temple, divided by a projecting string course and punctuated by a double order of superimposed Ionic pilasters, with a large central window on the second order, framed by an elegant Rococo cornice.<\/p>\n
The building was completed in 1776, thanks in part to the contribution of the local nobility, such as Count Guerriero Lana de\u2019 Terzi, whose support is commemorated by a dedicatory inscription located inside the church, above the main entrance. The sanctuary complex was completed in 1825 with the addition of an open exedra portico, designed to welcome and shelter pilgrims; this neoclassical structure was the work of the famous architect Rodolfo Vantini.<\/p>\n
Inside, the sanctuary is dominated by the four elegant ribs supporting the octagonal dome, whilst in the central section, with its mixed-line plan, tall classical arches open out, leading to the chancel, preceded by two elegant staircases with iron balustrades, and to the two side chapels, dedicated to Saint Francis of Paola and Saint Charles Borromeo. The entire interior echoes the motif already seen on the fa\u00e7ade, with elegant superimposed pilasters of the Composite order supporting a moulded entablature. Light streams in through the eight oculi set into the dome\u2019s tambour, illuminating the interior and enhancing the spatial volumes of this 18th-century architectural gem.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"featured_media":735,"parent":0,"menu_order":0,"template":"","categorie_arte":[418],"comuni":[88],"class_list":["post-5062","arte_e_cultura","type-arte_e_cultura","status-publish","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","categorie_arte-pievi-e-santuari","comuni-adro"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"\n