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- via Emilia centro, 41121 Modena
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Description
Modena, Vow Church
The church was built on the initiative of the community of Modena who made a vow to Ghiara Virgin Mary so that she stopped the plague which affected the city in 1630. The church was projected by Cristoforo Malagola, also known as Galaverna, and its construction site was chosen only after a great debate within the community. Its foundation stone was laid in 1634. However, the building work finished only in 1641 because of many interruptions also due to interferences of the Dukes. Inside, the church is composed of a nave and of six lateral chapels decorated with mighty altars and a great number of paintings dating back to the 17th and 19th century. In the middle of the nave, on the left, the Vow Chapel presents a big golden altar made of wood decorated with the Plague Altarpiece, a big painting made by Ludovico Lana. The altarpiece represents the intercession of St. Rocco, St. Geminiano and the Virgin for the end of the plague. Ludovico Lana also designed the Crucifixion, which is hung on the opposite side over a big marble altar built by Girolamo Vannucci and Andrea Baratta in 1692. The other chapels are decorated with various paintings made by local artists as Antonio Giarola, Francesco Stringa, Jacopino Consetti and Adeodato Malatesta. On the left choir loft there’s a pipe organ. It was built in 1768 and was designed by Agostino Traeri who partially reused the materials of an ancient instrument of Giacomo Cricca.
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