Chiesa della Madonna dei Cacciatori

The Church of the Madonna dei Cacciatori is a small fifteenth-century chapel among the hills above Bolsena. Its name recalls the hunters who prayed there, and its walls preserve frescoes from the fifteenth to seventeenth centuries.

Why it matters

The chapel belonged to a network of rural shrines, including those of the Arcale, Augello and Giglio, that marked paths used by travellers and field workers around Bolsena. Its history links the town's religious life to the surrounding countryside.

What to notice

The walls hold several layers of frescoes. In the upper register, a Passion cycle attributed to Giovanni de Ferraris da Mondovì sets scenes from the Holy Land against views of Lake Bolsena. At the altar, the Madonna is enthroned among saints including Cristina and Giorgio, patrons of the town. San Rocco, protector against plague and patron of pilgrims, appears three times.

Context and history

The present chapel took shape in the fifteenth century on rising ground beyond the medieval town. It stands in an area crossed by a basalt-paved Roman-period road, possibly part of the Via Cassia toward Orvieto. After a long closure, the chapel was restored by its owners, Bolsena artist Nino Botarelli and his wife Adriana, and returned to the community.