Madonna del Sasso, Switzerland



The Madonna del Sasso is a Marian Pontifical shrine in Orselina, above the city of Locarno in Switzerland. It is the principal sight and goal of religious pilgrimage in the city. It is one of two namesake churches, the other being in Salinas, California, United States.

The founding of the sanctuary goes back to the Franciscan friar Bartolomeo de Ivrea who reputedly sighted an Marian apparition on 15 August 1480.

The church interior is highly ornate and decorated, and a platform has panoramic views of the city. The sanctuary is linked to Locarno city centre by the Locarno–Madonna del Sasso funicular.

On 14 August 1880, the Vatican Chapter under Pope Leo XIII issued a Pontifical decree which crowned the venerated image via the former Archbishop of Milan, Paolo Angelo Ballerini, following festivities of August 15–16, marking the 400 years of its Marian apparition.