Santuario della Madonna del Belvedere - Gragnano

History and architecture
The Sanctuary of Our Lady of Belvedere, originally called Our Lady of Castello, is located in panoramic position, northerly compared to the church of Gragnano.
The sanctuary was probably built on the area where the castle of the Porcaresi family was located. It dates back to 1600 and it has been restored many times during the centuries. Most important restorations:

• in 1642 it was enlarged and in 1902 it was rebuilt, as witnessed by the inscriptions on the architrave and on the basement of the stoup.
• in the first half of the XVII century the cemetery was added.

Works of art
Inside the church we find the paintings of Placido Campetti, the altar of Jardella and an earthenware statue of the Virgin with Child.
The statue, worshipped for centuries by the villagers of Lucca, was discovered in the XVII century and was restored twice: in 1852 and in 2004.

Some experts attributed this statue to the fiftheenth-century period and to Vincenzo Civitali, or to another pupil of the same school.