New-York tribune., 1907-11-03
THE M.IDONN4 DI TICO.
4 Little Kn0zrn 4IrchifcctErql
Monument IN Italy.

THE, SANTCAEJp OF THE MADONNA uF woo
Pantheon of Emanuel ~ savoy BY l. sl-. ia'
Eu>SI- Illustrated ROYAL octave, Il N> 3D.
The NacmIlIu Company
This book cprumeuorates what may tr H.
scrjbet as, in some sort. discovery. TIE .alrch
with which IL deals Is practically unknown %
the Ilymau. whose travels rarely carry him
into the corner of Piedmont by which il Is
adorned. and there are probably few students
of architecture who have visited IL ar even
heard of il Mr.. RoSsi now pays tr.lr. % il
in such wise that his reader is made almost as
we'll acquainted with 1t as though he aat act
uaIIy turned his fpot>teps To the little valley
on the brink OF which Napoleon fought the bat
tie Of M'njovi. This volume gives the history
of the church. describes its architet-l-at aHl
decorative characteristics and presents also a
remarkable series of Illustrations, rerrI Iiueei
both from photographs and drawings. Tr- aI-
thor'S enthusiasm is perhaps excessive. ysr il
can be understood. The making Of his book
was worth while.
Lovers of Italy Welt remember those roadside
piIoHi ON which crude paintings Of the Madonna
and Child testify u the desire of the peasant
for some convenient outdoor shrine at 81 ..h ha
may offer up his prayers as he goes about his
daily task. 1t is 10 the existence Of such
shrine at NiCn near NOndovi that The great
building described by Mr.. RcsSi owes its origin
In the year lI;:9 the Castle of Vico was under
going restoration. Wet weather deprived the
brickmakers of their resources of clay and
presently the lack of material brought the
building operations 20 standstiu The story
thus continues:
1t is said ;hat while one of these brickmakers
was pondcrns sadly on the situat1n an exciting
event was taking place at ms home lis oaH
Ilus4ter, a girl Of seventeen. while repeating 4er
uut ulhE pray rrS nvleIt u vision ot heavenly Hs
uIr IN 1lu' Wno lei her half CONSCIOUS. % spet
~ m Vr..f, I -, G o'.'l ~ :. p.1'''' Win p ~. -
PiioHc built the sky was CLEARED of IT'S heavy
months warm weather continued until the clst@
was completely restored
For some years the piIoac appears to have
received no more than the ordinary honors paid
TO such memorials. and even 10 have fallen into
neglect. but it was ultimately made the rally
ing point for religious campaign carried on by
one Cesar Trombetta. and this Gevout church
man abored earnestly at the task of reha-
bilitaton that his plan FOR the building Of
chapel on the spot was encouraged by the BiSh-
OF of Mondovi Indeed. that dignitIry saw
the growing Importance Of the shrine, which at
| tracted thousands OF pilgrims. he hit upon the
idea of substituting vast building for the
modest chapel As luck would have it. this
scheme commended itself TO the Duke OF SAVOY
Charles Emanuel I. who resolved not simply 10
interest himself in the church but TO make the
erection of it n family affair. turning it into
Temple of Peace for the repOse Of the bones
of himself and his descendants He put the
construction of this pantheon into the hands 81
his military engineer. Captain Ascano Nitoz1h
| a native of OrvietO. and such rapid progress
was made that in 1896 the duke witnessed the
laying of the cornerstone of the present edihc',
| As time went on. however. the work suneIe.
| many delays. The dukes successor GuarreHe1
with the monks and abandoned the building -