Madonna del Pign

The Madonna del Pign is a white-marble statue of the Madonna of Peace on the lower slopes of Garda's Rocca, raised after the Second World War in fulfilment of a civic vow.

Why it matters

The statue expresses a communal act of thanksgiving. During the war, residents of Garda vowed to honour the Madonna if the town were spared bombardment. The Bishop of Verona consecrated the monument on 15 August 1946, the feast of the Assumption and the town's patronal day.

What to notice

Sculptor Nino Gottardi designed the figure, which Colombo Lugoboni carved in white marble. The Madonna of Peace holds an olive branch in her left hand and raises her right in a gesture of protection. The statue's dialect name, Madonna del Pign, refers to the bare summit spur of the Rocca.

Context and history

After the Second World War, Garda's archpriest Monsignor Segantini proposed a public act of thanksgiving if the community escaped destruction. The vow was fulfilled in 1946 when the diocesan bishop consecrated the statue on the Assumption feast. The monument remains communal property and recalls the wartime vow through an annual devotional tradition.