Descrizione
In the centre of Cartoceto there are ancient places of worship that inspire reflection, prayer and spirituality. We begin with the church of Santa Maria della Misericordia, in the heart of the village, a building dating from the 1400s, which has since been restored several times and converted into a collegiate church. The present building bears the date 1831 and stands opposite Piazza XX Settembre.
Upon entering, one immediately sees a wooden statue depicting the Holy House of Loreto, which is carried in procession for the adoration of the Virgin Mary; on the left-hand side of the square, meanwhile, stands the Diocesan Marian Shrine of the Blessed Virgin of Graces, which houses a fresco depicting the Madonna enthroned with the Infant Jesus.
This work was created in the second half of the 1800s as an expression of gratitude to Mary for having healed a noblewoman from an illness that seemed incurable. In 1877, the image was transferred to the church and placed inside the chapel built specifically for the occasion by the architect Mengaroni.
The church contains other works of sacred art, such as the painting of the Madonna del Rosario, depicting Pius V giving thanks to the Virgin Mary for the victory at Lepanto; or the image of the Madonna Enthroned with St John the Baptist and St Bernardino. Directly above the altar stands the Madonna of Mercy, a 17th-century work, whilst near the exit is the painting of the Madonna Enthroned flanked by St Sebastian and St Roch.
Before leaving the Collegiate Church of Santa Maria della Misericordia, it is worth mentioning a unique instrument, a symbol of hymns and music in the church: the organ. The liturgical furnishings also deserve a mention, such as the altar and the ambo, dating from the 1990s and created by the friar-sculptor Pigini and his pupil Galiardi.
