Re Sanctuary
Re is one of the most characteristic villages of the Val Vigezzo; located at 710 m above sea level, it is just over 7 km from Switzerland and is a real devotional center of the valley, a destination for pilgrimages to its majestic sanctuary dedicated to the "Madonna del Sangue" (Santuario di Re in italian).
In the place where the sanctuary stands now stood the small parish church of S. Maurizio, on whose façade an image of the Madonna and Child was painted; a legend says that from the representation of the Virgin blood flowed for twenty days, following an incident that saw Giovanni Zuccone, a player of piodelle, hit the image of the Madonna with a stone. For this reason the bishop of Novara decided to transform the church into a sanctuary. Work began in 1922 and completed in 1958.
The ancient miraculous image of the Madonna, which belonged to the church of S. Maurizio, is kept at the high altar, of Baroque style and built entirely in marble. On the back of the altar, a tabernacle holds some of the blood gushed from the Virgin's forehead.
Santuario di Re is not far from hotel Edelweiss in Bognanco, and it is a good choice to visit all valle Vigezzo, with its typical villages.
