The book “The Sanctuary of Our Lady of Perpetual Help Bussolengo,” written by Alberto Pennacchioni, Ennio Pizzini and Giannantonio Conati, fills a gap in the bibliography on the cult of the Madonna del Perpetuo Soccorso, focusing on the sanctuary of Bussolengo, in Northern Italy. Published on the occasion of the 150th anniversary of the first public exhibition of the Icon, the volume offers a complete and accessible historical-artistic guide to the sanctuary, the youngest in the surrounding area.
A. Pennacchioni, E. Pizzini, G. Conati, Il Santuario della Madonna del Perpetuo Soccorso Bussolengo, publisher Bussolengo Art and Culture Association, Bussolengo VR, 2025, pp. 71.
Review by p. Vincenzo La Mendola C.Ss.R.
In the bibliographic panorama concerning Our Lady of Perpetual Help and the places linked to her cult, there was no specific publication for the sanctuary of Bussolengo, the only one in Italy to have received canonical recognition from the Ordinary of Verona (2005), and the second largest centre for the diffusion of the cult (in central-northern Italy), after the Roman one.
In order to fill this gap and offer pilgrims a historical-artistic guide, in the year in which we commemorate the 150th anniversary of the first public exhibition of the Icon in Bussolengo (8 July 1875), we are offered an elegant volume, the result of careful research and a three-handed editorial work. Its authors are: Alberto Pennacchioni, journalist, and author of numerous monographs; Ennio Pizzini, scholar of local history; and Giannantonio Conati, expert in the history of the Veronese territory and essayist. A perfect trio with all the qualifications required to draft a guide, agile and complete, of the “youngest” Marian sanctuary, among those present in the surrounding area, in fact: the Marian sanctuary of Bussolengo is located on one of the last edges of the Garda morainic amphitheatre; a plateau overlooking the Val d’Adige where the view ranges over the flat part and the heights of the Valpollicela (p. 7).
In five short chapters, the history of the origins of the building is presented in its general coordinates. Starting from the two small churches “alle Bastie”, and retracing the phases of the foundation of the Franciscan convent, with an interesting episode on the moments of its expansion and the various renovations (chapter I). The authors help us to retrace, as in a compelling virtual journey, the centuries that have seen the birth, growth, and modification of the conventual structure. Until reaching the crucial years of the Napoleonic suppression, which irremediably mark a drastic interruption. This event is followed by repeated attempts at refoundation, which have failed. The story of Don Turri and the call of the Austrian Redemptorists to occupy the Franciscan convent, constitute the heart of the narrative and allow us to enter into the heart of its most recent history (chapter II), that is, its rebirth. The authors, with immediate language and a fluid style, briefly describe the main episodes that refer to the origin of the devotion to Our Lady of Perpetual Help in Bussolengo, in that last part of the Italian nineteenth century (p. 18).
The third chapter opens with an examination of the works of the second renovation of the church and the adjacent complex and introduces us to the actual guided tour. Step by step, we are illustrated, from an artistic and iconographic point of view, the icon of the Virgin, the chapel of St. Alphonsus, the high altar, the chapel of St. Gerard, the apse, and the sacristy, with its precious lunettes and artifacts. After the virtual tour of the complex and the pause in front of each work of art that is kept in the liturgical hall, our authors introduce us to the discovery of the suggestive Franciscan cloister (chapter 4), a seventeenth-century work by local authors, and one of the best in terms of quality and conservation in the entire Province. The detailed analysis of the 46 lunettes of the cloister allows the visitor to retrace through images the biography of St. Francis and to discover at the same time, the relative commissions (through the study of the coats of arms) and the iconographic details of the saints, inscribed in the octagonal panels. A true educational journey through the Franciscan calendar, proposed to the simple, with the canons of popular art.
The last chapter, the fifth, focuses on the history of the medieval church of San Micheletto, today the seat of the local branch of the Alpini and on its frescoed Madonna, in a suggestive votive aedicule. The last paragraph describes the monument to Our Lady of Perpetual Help built in the Holy Year of 2000, on the square of the Sanctuary, almost to stitch together the past and the present, through the images of the monuments described.
A selected bibliography (p. 70) closes the work, giving us an idea of its scientific depth, without weighing down the text with notes or heavy captions.
It is a rich series of photos, accompanied by precise captions, to provide us with even more precious information that expands our knowledge. In short, in a word, in the volume in question, one can find everything that is needed by the pilgrim or tourist who is preparing to visit the site. Or, if we prefer, a practical guide that can accompany him during the visit itself, with a set of information, historically pertinent and clearly schematic and an initial presentation that can also arouse the desire for further insights.
What makes the book even more appealing is its graphics. The pages (17, 30-33, 40-41), for example, in which the central theme is addressed, that is, the news related to the icon and its cult, have a light blue background, the Marian color par excellence. The other pages maintain a white background, on which a harmonious layout has been created that allows for a comfortably flowing and at the same time pleasant reading.
A panoramic photo of the interior (pp. 22-23) and a bird’s eye view of the entire complex (p. 70) invite the reader, in a certain sense, to enter the book and enjoy the beauty of the places, taking them in at a glance. The inclusion of rare period photos (pp. 12,14,15,18,20) also guide the reader into the more recent past, as in a flash of time, leading him into the knowledge of the transformations that the entire structure has undergone over time.
We cannot fail to highlight the importance of the other carefully selected photos, especially those of the lunettes and the panels of the cloister, almost as if to give a first taste and stimulate the reader’s curiosity. These are not just decorative images, but I would say pedagogical and conceived by the authors as true historical visual documents, with the intent of completing the description of the site and its environments, paying attention to some details that could escape the naked eye.
While the front cover presents in medias res the two main sites to visit, the back cover features the coat of arms of the Congregation of the Most Holy Redeemer (created by A. Pennacchioni), to pay homage to the Redemptorist Missionaries, custodians and promoters of the cult of the Mother of Perpetual Help. For a century and a half, they have worked, with creative fidelity, to transmit to the various generations that follow, the love for the Virgin of the Icon, now a full-fledged heritage of Veronese religiosity, if one considers that in other municipalities of the Veronese area there are churches and altars dedicated to her.
Taking up an effective brushstroke by Father Gilberto Silvestri, author of the Presentation (p. 5), we can affirm that this book is centered on the Sanctuary of Our Lady of Perpetual Help and on the relative Franciscan cloister, an elegant, exhaustive and functional guide of the religious complex, a place of prayer, of aesthetic enjoyment and of meeting, for those who feel the need of a stop to restore the spirit.
