The Sanctuary of the Nativity of the Blessed Virgin Mary of Sombreno, a hamlet of Paladina, in the province of Bergamo, in addition to being an important place of worship, holds a great mystery: the rib of an animal hanging in the nave. The building consists of two blocks adjacent to each other. Of these, one is dedicated to the Nativity of Mary, the other to Our Lady of Sorrows. Both were built in the 1493th century and the more recent of the two, the church of Addolorata, bears the exact date of XNUMX.
The legend of the dragon
The sanctuary is also known and visited for this fascinating mystery, for which, recently, some scientists have tried to give a definitive explanation. The giant bone has hung from the ceiling of the nave for centuries. Legend has it that it belonged to a dragon that roamed near the Brembo river, not far from the Sombreno hill on which the sanctuary stands. The dragon terrorized the inhabitants of the surrounding countryside until the Middle Ages, when a brave knight decided to face it and kill it.
It is said that he defeated the mythological beast St. George. In the church dedicated to the saint, located in the nearby municipality of Almenno San Salvatore, there is in fact another rib which they say belonged to the same monster. The bone visible in the sanctuary of the Nativity of Sombreno remained hanging from the ceiling of the church to remind the faithful of the power that faith has. However, scientists wanted to get to the bottom of the mystery and, from the 19th century until the mid-20th century, they attributed the bone to a mammoth, ruling out that it belonged to a dragon.
The latest studies
Indeed, the Bergamo area and the Brembo river have brought evidence of very ancient prehistoric settlements and finds. Therefore it was possible that a mammoth had lived in these countryside millennia ago. This was until 2018, in conjunction with the restoration of the church, when further studies were conducted. The latter revealed that it is not the rib of a mammoth but the rib bone of a small whale that lived between the XNUMXth and XNUMXth centuries. However, the mystery of how it got to Sombreno remains. The only useful data to reach this conclusion are the two letters AM, engraved on the rib together with a cross. These initials correspond to those of the artist Antonio Moroni from Breno, author of one of the frescoes exhibited in the sanctuary. The mystery remains and fascinates more and more tourists, faithful and scholars.
Place of great devotion
The Sombreno Sanctuary is a place of great devotion. Built around the ancient chapel of the now almost non-existent medieval castle, it is a building of great beauty that fits perfectly into the surrounding landscape. Inside you can admire works of artistic value. An example of this is the stucco altar of Giovanni Angelo Salaa Wooden pieta of the 16th century, the canvases of Vineyard, the frescoes of Ceresa, Baschenis and Genovesino, and an organ Serassi dating back to 1737. The place is perfect for those who love history, but also art, nature and, of course, mystery. In the vicinity of the sanctuary you can visit the beautiful Hills Park.
(Photo: Friends of the Sombreno Sanctuary, Facebook Page)
