La Chiesa della Beata Vergine del Popolo
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This was the church in which the young Nazzareno Bonaretti served as choirboy and helped his father, Argeo, in his duties as sacrosanct.
La chiesa della Beata Vergine del Popolo – the church of the Blessed Virgin of the People – is situated at the end of the portico of the narrow, one-way street, Via Cavour, off the main square, Piazza Unità d’Italia. The foundation stone was placed by Count Camillo III Gonzaga on 11th November, 1704. The church’s construction, based on a project by the Reggio architect Prospero Mattioli, continued until 1708. In the same year, on 5th August, the image of the Blessed Virgin of the Snow was transported there. It had been originally painted on the wall of the entrance door to the castle, La Rocca. Also brought there in the same year was the statue of San Bernardino which stood in the oratorium, which no longer exists but which stood in front of the fortress. The bishop of Reggio, Monsignor Picenardi, built the church as a sanctuary. Its construction was made possible with the contributions of all the Novellarese people, grateful to the Virgin for the numerous miracles performed, in particular for the narrow escape from the destruction of the town by the Gallo-Hispanics in 1702. (Wikipedia has this article: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Battle_of_Luzzara) A notice placed on the front door declares that the church was given to use by the Orthodox of Moscow. The mass is held in Italian, in Romanian and in Russian. Ideal for those looking for the Orthodox rite and spiritual tranquility. |
Count Camillo III Gonzaga by Benedetto Gennari Jnr
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These images of the interior of the church were taken October 2006
before restoration
Madonna della Neve
After years of oblivion and abandonment, the church and its fresco have been restored.
In 2019, the restoration of the seventeenth-century fresco depicting the Madonna della Neve (later called Madonna del Popolo) was presented on Sunday 31 March in the Church of the Beata Vergine del Popolo (via Cavour). This fresco, which was originally painted on the internal wall of an access door to the fortress, in the second half of the seventeenth century, due to the demolition of the door, had been cut from the wall (solid detachment) and transferred under the portico of the Telonio (the customs house at the eastern end) in the square. From there, on 5 August 1708, at the conclusion of the construction work of the Church of the Beata Vergine del Popolo, erected at the expense of the Community, the icon was solemnly transported and placed behind the main altar. The Novellaresi attributed various miracles to the image of the Madonna della Neve, including that of the healing of little Filippo Alfonso, son of Count Camillo III Gonzaga, from a serious illness.
The restoration, thanks to which the original fresco was "revealed", was commissioned by the Municipality of Novellara (the Church has been owned by the Municipality since 1994) and was carried out by the Daniele Bizzarri Ancient Paintings Restoration Laboratory of Modena, under the supervision of the Historical and Artistic Sector of the Superintendence of Archeology, Fine Arts and Landscape of Bologna. The presentation was attended by Dr. Alfonso Garuti, former Director of the Civic Museums and the Diocesan Cultural Heritage Office of Carpi and the restorer Daniele Bizzarri. Those present were given a folder with the image of the Madonna before and after the restoration.
In 2019, the restoration of the seventeenth-century fresco depicting the Madonna della Neve (later called Madonna del Popolo) was presented on Sunday 31 March in the Church of the Beata Vergine del Popolo (via Cavour). This fresco, which was originally painted on the internal wall of an access door to the fortress, in the second half of the seventeenth century, due to the demolition of the door, had been cut from the wall (solid detachment) and transferred under the portico of the Telonio (the customs house at the eastern end) in the square. From there, on 5 August 1708, at the conclusion of the construction work of the Church of the Beata Vergine del Popolo, erected at the expense of the Community, the icon was solemnly transported and placed behind the main altar. The Novellaresi attributed various miracles to the image of the Madonna della Neve, including that of the healing of little Filippo Alfonso, son of Count Camillo III Gonzaga, from a serious illness.
The restoration, thanks to which the original fresco was "revealed", was commissioned by the Municipality of Novellara (the Church has been owned by the Municipality since 1994) and was carried out by the Daniele Bizzarri Ancient Paintings Restoration Laboratory of Modena, under the supervision of the Historical and Artistic Sector of the Superintendence of Archeology, Fine Arts and Landscape of Bologna. The presentation was attended by Dr. Alfonso Garuti, former Director of the Civic Museums and the Diocesan Cultural Heritage Office of Carpi and the restorer Daniele Bizzarri. Those present were given a folder with the image of the Madonna before and after the restoration.
Madonna della Neve (later called Madonna del Popolo) before restoration in 2019
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Flyer of Madonna della Neve (later called Madonna del Popolo) after restoration in 2019
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More than the façade, the view of the building from the back is remarkable.
