Il Santuario della B.V. della Consolazione
Il Santuario della B. V. della Consolazione of Montovolo is a notable example of mountain Romanesque architecture dating back to the 12th century.
The gabled façade of Santa Maria is made of local stone. The portal, which was rebuilt, shows an original lunette with an engraved cross, an arch which is perhaps a rainbow, and year 1211 written with the inscription “ROIP”, explained as “Regnante Otone Imperatore” that is to say “during the rein of Emperor Otto”. In the middle there is a bigger cross and two engraved doves which symbolically represent the Christians walking towards the cross. On the left wall there used to be a buttress which supported the old bell gable as can be seen in an 1833 engraving together with the new bell tower. The latter, built between 1831 and 1835 by Don Giuseppe Pisi, houses a sundial with a distich indicating “Germanic or French” time.
A walk around the church allows to appreciate its structure. On the north side there is a portico dating 1703 used by the pilgrims and the Cappella del Rosario built between the seventeenth and eighteenth century. The apse, rich in single-light windows and cornices, came to light thanks to subsequent works.
On the right side, the portico shows octagonal columns, perhaps taken from the previous church. This portico used to continue at a right angle along the rectory. Only the new restoration has brought it to its original form. On the south side there is a sundial.
The basilica plant interior is approximately 37 meters long, 9 meters wide and 5.20 meters high. The church is now arranged on three levels, assembly, raised presbytery and crypt of the oldest church but originally it had only two floors. The wooden ceiling has ten trusses while the roof is tiled. The Venetian style flooring dates back to 1822. The stone fonts on the left are XIIIth/XIVth century while those on the right are XVII/XVIIth century. The current station of the cross is modern made by Cesarino Vincenzi ‘students to replace an alder terracotta one , 1752, which was unfortunately stolen in 1975.
Right wall
The wall adjoining the façade is not built in opus quadratum, as it was constructed to accommodate the 19th-century bell tower. Above the first altar there was once a wooden crucifix, which is no longer extant. A short distance away, an 18th-century fresco depicting three saints—St Roch, St Sebastian, and St Acacius—is set within a decorative frame.
Left wall
The first altar after the confessional is dedicated to Santa Lucia. A XVI/XVIIth century fresco of which only the upper part is still visible, is located below the area of the lost canvas. Further on a frame shows Sant’Anna with the child Maria,again from the XVI/XVIIcentury. The seventeenth century Cappella del Rosario holds a statuette of the Madonna del Rosario toghther with 15 small paintings of the mysteries of the rosary , attributed to Antonio Crispi. The two big lunettes of Santa Caterina showing scenes from the saint’s life, have been recently placed on this wall.
Presbitery
The elevated presbitery is covered by three cross vaults. The columns towards the nave and the Romanesque capitals with acanthus leaves decorations, are architecturally remarkable. The side single-light windows are splayed while the central one was blinded to create a niche for the statue of the Madonna della Beata Vergine della Consolazione. Above the columns there are two stone decorations with a geometric composition of multi – point stars. Bill Holmes called them “the flowers of Montovolo”. The rowan tree statue of the Madonna is 180 cm high. Relics, including one of the Holy Cross, are contained in a silver reliquary dated 1725 together with plenty of ex-voto.
The main feast day is on September the 8th.
Crypt
Under the main altar of Santa Maria of Montovolo, lies the crypt, one of the oldest and most fascinating buildings in the entire Bolognese mountain. They are the remains of the oldest church dating back to the XIth century which was buried to build the church raised presbytery in 1211. The remains imply that it was the apse of the older church. According to Rubiani it was separated from the nave by some columns later on employed while building the right external portico.
The three semi-circular apses are built with local sandstone. The central apse has a horseshoe plan and is 2.10meters deep while the side ones are half-ellypses. The latter ones still preserve their entry arch.
The curved walls are marked by blind arcades. The five small arcades of the central apse were supported by small columns with a square basis, most of which are lost, while the side ones have three small arcades resting on corbels in the shape of an overthrown trapezoid. The right side apse featuring a shell-shaped vault, has been preserved almost entirely. The two frontal three-sided capitals separating the three areas are remarkable as well as the corbels.
The corbels show archaic reliefs of Byzantine- Ravenna origin with a series of Christian symbols.
- Pair of pelicans with crossed necks: the pelican is the symbol of Christ sacrificing himself for humanity
- Pair of crouching lions: the lion stands for strength, courage and resurrection
- Pair of birds drinking from a chalice: they are probably doves, symbol of the Christians purified after baptism and drinking from the chalice of Christ’s blood
- A gryphon: the gryphon with the body of a lion and the head of an eagle is the symbol of Christ in both his divine and human nature
- Vegetable decorations: the scrolled saplings represent life and rebirth.
