Madonna del Latte, Religious oratory in Gionzana, Novara, Italy.
The Oratorio della Madonna del Latte is a small chapel in Novara decorated with 15th-century wall paintings. These frescoes display saints, the Virgin with Child, and scenes from Christ's life rendered in vivid detail.
The building was constructed during the 14th century on the lands of the Tettoni family and was originally called Santa Maria della Scaglia. It served as a prayer site for local farmers until 1618, when Bishop Ferdinando Taverna's pastoral visit led to its current name.
The paintings by Tommaso Cagnoli and Daniele De Bosis represent the artistic tradition of Novara through depictions of religious figures and biblical narratives.
The chapel is accessible during daylight hours with no restricted entry. The building underwent thorough restoration work that preserved both the interior frescoes and the exterior walls.
The name refers to a specific fresco showing the Virgin nursing the Child, a less common detail in religious art. This distinctive image became the source of the building's present-day name through oral tradition.
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