Description of the attraction
The Basilica of Madonna dei Sette Dolori - Blessed Virgin Mary of the Seven Sorrows - is located in Pescara. It is a religious, historical, artistic and cultural landmark of the city and the entire Abruzzo region. The basilica was built at the beginning of the 17th century on the very hill where once, according to legend, the Mother of God appeared to the shepherds with a heart pierced by seven spears. At first, on the site of the miraculous phenomenon, there was a small chapel, erected in the second half of the 16th century, then a church was built on its foundation, and only then the current basilica. In 1665, Bishop Raffaele Ezuberazio bestowed on her the title of a parish church and dedicated to Madonna dei Setta Dolori. And almost three centuries later, in 1959, at the initiative of Pope John XXIII, it received the status of a minor basilica of the Order of the Minor Capuchins.
The history of this church has always been closely related to the history of Pescara. In the late 19th century, residents of the city used the area around the basilica as a venue for political meetings and gatherings. And when the building of the City Hall was erected on the hill, the basilica became the real center of the city, its “soul”.
The neoclassical appearance of the basilica with perfect symmetry of shape and proportion is the result of restoration carried out in the late 18th and early 19th centuries. The central part of the façade is decorated with pilasters with Corinthian capitals and a triangular tympanum. The marble portal is crowned with a memorial tablet with the date of the consecration of the basilica - 1757th year. The imposing bell tower, which is part of the right apse, whose shape is still recognizable from afar, was built in 1888. Its structure is clearly marked with pilasters at the corners. The bell tower itself is divided into two parts and topped with a small dome.
The interior of the basilica consists of a central nave and two side chapels, separated from each other by arcades. The nave is slightly higher than the aisles. There are huge windows with multicolored stained-glass windows on the walls. The presbytery is decorated with a monumental triumphal arch and is illuminated by a window with scenes from the lives of various saints.
