Madonna della Castagna, Shrine and church in Bergamo, Italy

The church of the Beata Vergine della Castagna in Bergamo is reached by a long tree-lined avenue leading to a forecourt paved with river pebbles. Its north-facing gabled facade has a central entrance, two rectangular grated windows, and two symmetrical arched side doors, with a large brick-framed arch above. The single-hall interior has two bays: the first holds two confessionals and the altar of the Madonna Bambina, the second the square chapel of the apparition, lit by a large window; three steps lead to the presbytery with a ribbed vault.

According to the most accepted version of events, the Madonna appeared on April 28, 1510, to two men in a chestnut grove near Bergamo and asked for a church to be built on that spot. A small place of worship was erected in 1511 and the building was changed several times over the centuries, with the bell tower added in the early 1900s.

The shrine takes its name from a legend in which a chestnut tree suddenly bore ripe fruit as a sign of the Madonna's appearance. Every year on April 28, worshippers gather here to mark the event with prayers and a shared celebration.

The shrine stands on Via Madonna della Castagna in Bergamo and can be reached by car or on foot without difficulty. From here it is easy to walk to other nearby spots, such as the small Grés lake a short distance away.

Inside, a wooden group carved in 1928 by sculptor Enrico Manzoni depicts the scene of the apparition in three dimensions. Next to it stands a marble pulpit decorated with angels in the style of the Fantoni workshop, one of the most recognized sculptural traditions of the Bergamo area.