Basilica della Nostra Signora, Minor basilica and parish church in Luogosanto, Italy.
Basilica della Nostra Signora is a three-nave church located in the hills of northern Sardinia within Sassari province. The building features a special bronze holy door created by sculptor Luca Luchetti that opens only once every seven years on September 8.
Franciscan friars built the church in the 13th century after an apparition of the Madonna showed them where the relics of Saints Trano and Nicola lay. In 1227 Pope Honorius III raised it to the rank of minor basilica and granted it a holy door. The three-nave building was entirely rebuilt in the 18th century.
The wooden Virgin in the left nave is said to have been found on a beach at Arzachena. Two pilgrimages arrive each year: one in late May for the sick, and one on foot from Calangianus, about twenty kilometres away, at night in early June. Both end with Mass led by the bishop.
Visitors can enter through the main entrance to see the interior throughout the year. The special holy door opens only every seven years, so check in advance if this feature interests you.
The left nave holds an 18th-century wooden statue of the Virgin Mary that locals say was discovered washed ashore on a beach years ago. This sacred carving draws the attention of many visitors who view it as a treasure of the place.
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