IMMERSIVE POINT OF INTEREST
St. Mary’s Basilica in Valvendra

The church was commissioned as a votive sanctuary dedicated to the Vergine delle Grazie by the families of the Borgo, who had become considerably rich from trading in the well-known Lovere cloth.
Beginning in 1473, perhaps consuming some pre-existing structures, the erection of the imposing church began. For the construction it was necessary to divert the Valvendra stream, after which the church that now stands in the middle of the old riverbed is named.
In 1513–1514, it was decided to found a monastery of Observant Franciscans, who had already been officiating in the church since at least the 1580s, along with an adjoining wool mill for the production of monk’s cloth that continued on until 1779. The church was finally consecrated on 2nd August 1520.
Construction began in late Gothic forms then continued in Renaissance styling in the Lombard-Venetian mode. The exterior has a bare façade, punctuated by four buttresses and preceded by a portico with cross vaults embellished with graffito.
The interior has three naves, divided by twelve columns, with chapels on the left side. The central nave is covered by a barrel vault completely frescoed with coffered ceiling, whilst the smaller ones by cross vaults. The marble high altar (1719–1720), made by Andrea Fantoni, features a little throne for displaying the Eucharist. In the background, the altarpiece is contained within a grandiose gilded wooden frame dating back to 1592 and depicts the Assumption, having been made by painter Tommaso Bona. The 16th-century wooden choir with Carthusian-style inlays is the work of Clemente Zamara. On the left wall is the organ, made in 1518 for the Duomo Vecchio in Brescia, then transferred to Lovere in the second half of the 17th century. The case is characterised by the two doors protecting the façade painted, on the outside by Ferramola with the Annunciation and on the inside by Alessandro Bonvicino, known as “il Moretto”, with equestrian portraits of Saints Faustino and Giovita, Patrons of Brescia. There are nine side chapels, seven of which open to the left side of the nave, built in the first decade of the 16th century, and two in the end walls of the smaller naves.
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Cultural itineraries on Lake Iseo
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ALL POINTS OF INTEREST
LAST EVENTS
RELATED ITINERARIES
Through the architectural and artistic works present in the territories of Lovere, Rovetta and the City of Bergamo, the salient passages of the lives of three important families from or adopted by Bergamo are reconstructed. There are the Bazzinis from Clusone, but better known for their presence in Lovere from the 15th century onwards. Then…
Through the architectural and artistic works present in the territories of Lovere, Rovetta and the City of Bergamo, the salient passages of the lives of three important families from or adopted by Bergamo are reconstructed. There are the Bazzinis from Clusone, but better known for their presence in Lovere from the 15th century onwards. Then…
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