Madonna della Guardia Sanctuary

Ascend to a faithful place in an aesthetically rewarding setting

When is it open: everyday (visits only on the patron saint's feast day)

What's not to be missed: Via Crucis in front of the church

Where is it: just inside Perloz, 1 km on the left

Why?… Because it's worth it: a church with elegant architecture in a panoramic position

The first sanctuary building seems to date back to the XIII century, even if the first document that mentions it dates back to 1528, which came about due to a casual discovery, according to tradition, of a statue of the Virgin Mary, which was probably hidden during the Barbaric invasions. It was extended between 1715 and 1718. The facade is very elegant, with a portico supported by four columns.

The interior, frescoed in the nineteenth century by the Avondo brothers, was covered with ribbed vaults and small, votive squares and displays of popular faith. The three, wooden altars from the eighteenth century and the statue of the miraculous Virgin Mary seated with Child (XIV century) are worth noting. The inner, windowsill of the facade, on the left, has an oval stone used as an "élémosinaire" or "chaplain", with the inscription IHS and the Vallaise shield. The square in front of the church

hosts a beautiful fountain with a column, a mask dated 1642, and a base dug from a single block of stone. The back of the church has a bell-tower and a house for pilgrims, with an elegant portico with a view out onto the flatland.