This church is the most famous monument in Riva. It was built in 1603 and it was consecrated in 1636 commissioned by Gaudenzio Madruzzo and his wife Alfonsina Gonzaga as a place of pilgrimage, keeping a miraculous shrine. The church is in an elegant Baroque style. On the outside it is square shaped , on the inside octagonal with five altars, three gates, vaults with frescos and stuccoes, confessionals in carved wood and marble pavements. The painting behind the high altar represents the image of the Miraculous Madonna; In the choir we find frescos and elegant carved choir stalls with Biblical scenes. The altar pieces are painted by Palma il Giovane and represent S.Carlo Borromeo and S.Gerolamo. The oil paintings on the wall are painted by Pietro Ricchi, called the Lucchese, those on the cone-shaped vault are attributed to Teofilo Polacco. The white, black and gilded stuccoes are Davide Reni’s work (1609) whose signature you can find entering the main entrance door, on the right. It was incorporated to the Gerolimini Convent (until 1807), then to the Friars Minor Conventual (1816-1848) and then again (from 1877) to the Istituto del Sacro Cuore di Gesù. Today it is municipal property.
Open for visiting during daylight hours.
