Marian devotion
Where is he?
The Sanctuary of la Madonna delle Lacrime is located in Lezzeno, municipality of Bellano, in the province of Lecco (Lombardy, Italy). The location of the building is identified in OpenStreetMap.
Documented history
On August 6, 1688, the local tourist sources placed the episode that gave rise to devotion and described the shrine of Lezzeno. It also includes the placement of the first stone on 6 August 1690, the completion of the sanctuary in 1694 and the transfer of the image on 4 May 1706, according to the historical relationship collected by these sources.
Tradition
Tradition tells that Bartolomeo Mezzera would have seen a Marian medallion weeping blood during a storm. We present this account as a local devotional tradition; the existence of the cult and the sanctuary does not in itself amount to a statement about the supernatural origin of the phenomenon.
Legend
There is no separate legend from the traditional account of tear in the consulted sources.
Ecclesial State
It consists of the existence of a Catholic sanctuary and a public Marian cult. The sources consulted describe a historical certification of the fact, but do not offer the title or date of a final decree; therefore, no more precise formal ecclesial state is assigned.
Anecdotes and stories
The local memory tells that the parish priest Paolo Antonio Rubini went in the rain to personally examine the image before communicating the event to the Archbishop of Milan, Federico Visconti, and to the authorities.
Prayer
Holy Mary, Mother of Tears, pray for us and intercede before your Son through those who go through sadness, disease or uncertainty. Teach us to seek hope and peace in Christ. Amen.
Sources
BAC Bellano, Sanctuary of Lezzeno; Discovering Bellano, Sanctuary of Lezzeno; OpenStreetMap, Santuario.
Documentary extension
The local sources describe a concrete sequence for the origin of the sanctuary: on August 6, 1688, Bartolomeo Mezera would have warned the bloodshed of the image while returning from work under a storm; the provost Paolo Antonio Rubini went to check the story and, during the night, members of the co-fradies of Santa Marta and San Roque went up in a barefoot procession. The subsequent communication of the Archbishop of Milan and the authorities belongs to the historical narrative of the cult transmitted by the place; here the distinction between that source and a definitive ecclesial declaration is maintained that does not consist with title and date in the cross-cutting sources.
The first stone of the sanctuary was blessed on August 6, 1690 and the building was finished in 1694; the image has been preserved there since May 4, 1706. The complex was raised on a hill with views over Bellano, not exactly in the chapel where the fountains place the episode of 1688. The central-floor architecture, the deep presbytery, the baroque facade and the marbles - including the black one of Varenna - are part of the heritage of the place. Therefore the cartographic point identifies the built sanctuary and does not intend to be the exact coordinate of the first chapel.
Sources of enlargement
- Bellano Arte Cultura, Sanctuary of Lezzeno; HTTP 200, checked on 7 October 2026.
- Discovering Bellano, Sanctuary of Lezzeno; HTTP 200, checked on 7 October 2026.
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