The prodigy of the Sanctuary of Campocavallo
To better understand the hundred-year-old history of Campocavallo and the origins of the “Festa del Covo” it is essential to remember the miracle of the Madonna, without which, in all probability, the history of the town would not have existed or would have certainly been different.
At the end of the 19th century Campocavallo was little more than a crossroads in the open countryside with a school and a modest country church where the priest, Don Giovanni Sorbellini, used to celebrate the Mass for the faithful coming from the farmhouses scattered in the area. Hung on the right wall in the church was a small canvas that had been purchased by Don Giovanni. It was an oleograph depicting the deposition of Jesus from the cross with Our Lady of Sorrows holding the body of her lifeless son in her arms and looking up to heaven.
On 16 June 1892, during the feast of Corpus Domini, a prodigy occurred in the church: drops of water, like drops of sweat and tears, suddenly appeared on the face of the Madonna in the print. The following day, before a multitude of faithful who had flocked to see the Madonna weep, a new and more astonishing prodigious event occurred: the Madonna's eyes moved and her pupils, which had been printed looking up to the sky, now stared at the crowd, looking up and down. The Madonna’s gaze was alive and it rested on her faithful.
The prodigy occurred many more times, for months and years, and it was hailed as a miracle. There were many healings and many graces, as attested by the hundreds of written testimonies and ex-votos. The small chapel soon found itself welcoming pilgrims from all over Europe. To honor these extraordinary events and receive the ever-increasing crowds, the construction of an imposing sanctuary began, thanks exclusively to the great number of offers and gifts donated by pilgrims.
The works on the new church began in April 1893. The project was entrusted to the architect from Osimo Costantino Costantini, who drew inspiration from the Gothic style, the 15th century art and the Lombard art, with the intention, however, not to imitate a style, but rather to create something new. The sanctuary was consecrated and dedicated in 1905, but the construction was completed with the building of the bell tower only in 1913, the same year in which the parish was established.
Built in Lombard neo-Gothic style, the imposing Sanctuary, which is also defined as "the last Gothic cathedral", is characterized by an original travertine facade, fine decorative terracotta, wonderful stained glass windows of excellent French workmanship and a bell tower with seven bells. Inside, placed in a dedicated temple, the prodigious icon of the Virgin of Sorrows, which, for the occasion, was embellished with a crown of gemstones on its head and a heart pierced by seven swords on its chest, dominated from above. The Sanctuary became a continuous destination for pilgrimages from the towns of the Marche region as well as from other parts of Italy. Moreover, the favorable proximity to Loreto attracted ever-increasing crowds of faithful from all over Europe to the area. The fame of the Sanctuary and of the icon of the miraculous Madonna spread immeasurably and Campocavallo became an important place of faith and prayer.
