Oratory of the Mogio

The Mogio is a small oratory dedicated to the Blessed Virgin of Graces, in a unique position in the Balducce district, near the Rabbi dam, along the old mule track where the Mogio public fountain and the Vetturial post station were located.

Its origins date back to the fifteenth century; today it is a two-storey building, built in 1646 on top of a small chapel that already existed, with a turret-like structure designed to overcome the considerable difference in height between the foundation level and the access level to the oratory.

The upper church, of rectangular plan with a single nave, is preceded by a rustic wooden trussed loggia supported by two pillars and has a small bell gable with a bell dated 1505 and coming from the ancient church of San Rocco (now demolished that stood in Piazza dei Caduti where is now the Town Hall).

The interior of the building, which is very small, has simple walls of exposed sandstone.

Family and St. John,” an oil on canvas dated 1644 by the Florentine painter Francesco Corsini.

Every year on May 24th, the traditional “Feast of the Mogio” is celebrated in remembrance of the ’15-’18 war, when a small group of mothers, wives and sisters of soldiers engaged in the war gathered to pray before Our Lady of the Mogio for the safe return of their loved ones. If their prayers were answered, they would gather on May 24th of each year to pray and celebrate.

Today, the celebration includes a procession that starts from the Oratory and goes along Via Roma, with the participation of the band of carters and refreshments of local specialties offered by the residents of the district.