Sanctuary of Santa Maria della Stella

The Sanctuary of Santa Maria della Stella, also known as “Madonna della Stella” is located in a dominant position between the municipalities of Concesio, Cellatica and Gussago. Construction works began on 2 June 1537 and lasted about two years. This place was very dear to the Montini family and in particular to the young Giovan Battista, who, having become a priest, dreamed of settling down at the end of his diplomatic career right next to the Madonna Della Stella. However, Montini had a different destiny: on 21 June 1963, he became pope with the name of Paul VI. Beatified on 19 October 2014, he was proclaimed a saint by Pope Francis on 14 October 2018.

The imposing and compact building, with no particular or relevant decorations on the exterior, has a high scarp wall running around the entire perimeter and is inspired by military construction.

If architecture is the characterising feature of the Sanctuary of Santa Maria della Stella, the works of art that decorate it are no less so. The presbytery is adorned by a monumental Baroque altar, which contains statues of saints and cherubs attributable to the Callegari workshop. The back wall is dominated by an impressive wooden altarpiece by a Brescian master from the late 16th century, which frames the extraordinary painting of the Madonna and Child by Girolamo da Romano, known as “il Romanino”. The large lunette at the top of the wall is beautifully decorated by a fresco of the Virgin of the Assumption by the painter Antonio Gandino, which refers to the elegant mixtilinear coffered ceiling painted in the vault.

The site is one of the stages of the “Sacred and Art Route” of the Ecomuseum of Valle Trompia. The Mountain and Industry.