Maria Santissima Incaldana, Minor basilica in Mondragone, Italy.
Maria Santissima Incaldana is a Renaissance basilica in Mondragone with a Latin cross floor plan divided into three naves and topped by a dome decorated with frescoes. The interior displays paintings of angels and evangelists adorning the sanctuary's ceiling and walls.
The sanctuary was founded in the 16th century under Don Luigi Carafa, the fourth Prince of Stigliano and Duke of Mondragone. It replaced an earlier Gothic church that had occupied the same location.
The shrine houses a Byzantine-style painting of the Virgin Mary with Child that locals have honored as their protector since the 14th century. This sacred image remains central to how people in the town connect with the place today.
The original sacred icon leaves the sanctuary rarely, appearing in public procession only once every 25 years. A replica participates instead in the annual Easter Monday procession that visitors can witness.
According to a tradition from 1624, oxen carrying the sacred painting stopped at the current location and refused to move forward without apparent reason. This unexplained event was interpreted as a divine sign that determined where the sanctuary should remain.
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