According to legend, on July 17, 1490, in the midst of the infighting between local families of the Panciatichi and Cancellieri, some people saw blood dripping from the forehead of a 14th-century fresco of the Madonna painted on a small chapel, which was interpreted as a sign that the Virgin Mary suffered from the bloodshed in the region. The miracle was confirmed by Bishop Niccolò Pandolfini, and the important families of Pistoia decided to build the sanctuary to honor the Madonna. The fresco is attributed by some to Bartolomeo Cristiani, but was perhaps due to a local painter from Pistoia. Originally the site had a small church or chapel, Santa Maria Forisportae, outside of the early medievalcity walls of Pistoia. Initially plans to enlarge the church were commissioned from Giuliano da Sangallo, but when he left Tuscany, the design was completed by Ventura Vitoni, who began construction of the octagonal church in 1495, and work continued until his death in 1522. In 1563, the Grand DukeCosimo I Medici entrusted completion to Giorgio Vasari, who elaborated the tall dome. The main altar was designed in 1579 by Pietro Tacca. The church was consecrated in 1582. The facade remains incomplete. The dome was completed in 1569, but its completion had been an arduous and prolonged task, and soon after, cracks appeared in the structure, requiring Vasari to add chains to gird the structure. But concerns about the stability emerged, and Bartolomeo Ammanati was called to create further reinforcement, concerned about the weight of the lantern, to the structure by Vasari. However, for centuries, problems continued, requiring further refurbishments well into the 21st century. In 1931, Pope Pius XI elevated the church to the status of minor basilica.
Description
The octagonal layout of the nave is more typical in devotional shrines, typically attended by individuals with a personal request, rather than the linear naves of churches belonging to the friars or Dominicans, where sermons to an audience were more important. The vertical red-tiled dome on the outside resembles a smaller version of Brunelleschi's dome for the Cathedral of Florence]. An inventory in 1821 listed the church as containing the following works:
Wreath with silver decorations above altar donated by Maddalena Morelli Fernandez, who as Corilla Olimpica was awarded this poet's crown in Rome in 1778 by the Arcadian society
Angels and Pelican sculpture above main altar by Pietro Tacca.
