Madonna Del Ghisallo

The beautiful image of the Madonna Del Ghisallo has a long history, but its origins are uncertain. The image gained popularity during the Middle Ages when the story of Count Ghisallo was circulated. The count was attacked by bandits as he neared the village of Magréglio. He ran to the image of the Blessed Virgin in a shrine by the road. As he pleaded for Mary’s protection, the robbers left him. More recently, it became popular for cyclists to stop at the shrine, which is at the top of a hill, to rest and pray. During the 1940s, the shrine’s pastor, Father Ireland Vegan popularized the idea of making the site a shrine for cyclists. Pope Pius XII declared the Madonna Del Ghisallo the patroness of cyclists on October 13, 1949. The shrine continues to be very popular; pictures and artifacts of cycling have turned it into a sort of cycling museum, as well as a religious shrine. Masses for the souls of departed cyclists are held on All Souls Day and Christmas Eve and an eternal flame also burns in honor of departed cyclists.