Santuario della Madonna dei Bagni (Casalina)

The Sanctuary of the Madonna dei Bagni at Casalina, near Deruta, preserves hundreds of painted maiolica ex-votos. The tiles connect local ceramic craftsmanship with personal acts of thanksgiving.

Why it matters

The collection records popular devotion through images of illness, accidents, danger and recovery. Across several centuries, local potters turned individual experiences into lasting painted offerings.

What to notice

The Madonna appears repeatedly among oak branches, recalling the tree associated with the shrine's founding story. Tiles depict falls, floods, animal attacks, road accidents and other dangers. Inscriptions such as PGR, for grace received, make their devotional purpose explicit. Differences in drawing, palette and composition reveal changing ceramic styles. Replacement panels also record the consequences of a major theft in 1980.

Context and history

Tradition traces the cult to a maiolica image fixed to an oak and to a healing reported in 1657. A chapel developed around the image, followed by a larger church in 1687. The custom of offering painted tiles continued through later generations. The sanctuary was restored after the 1980 theft, with recovered works and replicas contributing to the collection's later history.