Santuario della Madonna di San Giovanni

The Sanctuary of the Madonna di San Giovanni adjoins Ripatransone's co-cathedral. Its central object is a painted and gilded wooden statue of the Virgin, made in 1620 and crowned in 1682. The Madonna was proclaimed patroness of the city and diocese in 1893.

Why it matters

The sanctuary preserves a devotion associated with the Confraternita di San Giovanni and the town's attachment to the Madonna of Loreto. The image's name comes from the confraternity that commissioned it. Its adjoining position makes the sanctuary part of the wider cathedral complex.

What to notice

The processional statue was made by Sebastiano Sebastiani of Camerino. Above the sacristy, an aedicule designed by Francesco Vespignani in 1881 houses the image; a painted canvas by Luigi Fontana depicts the Holy House carried by angels. The interior also includes statues by Fontana, frescoes by Antonio Morettini, a wooden choir by Sante Morelli and the Banco del Magistrato by Desiderio Bonfini, transferred from the cathedral in 1960.

Context and history

The Confraternita di San Giovanni commissioned the statue in response to local devotion to Loreto; confraternity members brought it to Ripatransone in 1620. The Chapter of Saint Peter granted a golden crown to the image on 10 May 1682. Bishop Nicolai proclaimed the Madonna patroness of the city and diocese on 30 May 1893. The present single-nave hall was built between 1846 and 1858 to a design by Giambattista Carducci. Later additions include paintings by Ballarini dated 1919 and a bronze entrance door by Cleto Capponi, cast in 1950.