In the small village of Sompriezzo, there is a church dedicated to the Madonna della Salute, a very important saint in the Venetian tradition.
A church born thanks to the commitment of devotees
The church of Sompriezzo dates back to around 1750, when Francesco Leonesio, an inhabitant of the village, left in his will a portion of his estate to build a small chapel dedicated to the Madonna.
There was already a church at the beginning of the 17th century, as a resolution mentions the authorization to obtain timber for the building, but only 150 years later, thanks to the faith of the inhabitants, Sompriezzo will have its own church.
The official construction began between 1760 and 1770, thanks to the help of Giacomo Morandi, a wealthy Tremosine man, who left a donation that allowed Sompriezzo to have a church to recite the Holy Mass.
Following a period of neglect in the nineteenth century, the church suffered a series of damages, requiring serious maintenance interventions over the last few years.
The eighteenth-century interior
The church of the Madonna della Salute is elegant and clean, with the typical features of eighteenth-century religious buildings.
One of the most valuable items within the nave is the altarpiece depicting the Madonna with Saints Carlo and Francesco, the author of which is unknown.
This painting probably dates back to a period prior to the construction of the church, it was probably already present when the church was just a votive shrine.
Curious Fact: the Madonna della Salute and its link with Venice
The church is dedicated to the Madonna della Salute, worshipped in the Republic of Venice, to whom many churches have been dedicated over the years, throughout the former territory of the the Republic.
The cult of the Madonna began to spread in 1631, and the day dedicated to her is November 21, the day of liberation from the plague.
