In Malesco, between the Melezzo river and the mountain side, stands the charming 18th-century building of the Oratory of the Gabbio. During the plague epidemic in the 1500s, the inhabitants of Malesco built a hospital here. Once the plague ended, a small oratory dedicated to the Madonna was built, associated with the people’s deep devotion. It was only in 1723 that it was expanded to its present form.
Externally, the Oratory of the Gabbio in Malesco is simple and bare, while the interior with its single nave is richly decorated with stuccoes by Antonio Tamiotti from Valsesia and with 18th-century frescoes by Giuseppe Mattia Borgnis from Craveggia. The ancient marble high altar in the apse houses the original image of Our Lady of Graces.
The religious feast of Our Lady of Graces is celebrated in Malesco on the last Sunday of September and the Oratory of the Gabbio once again becomes a devotional centre for the entire community. On Saturday evening a torchlight procession and the lighting of a large bonfire anticipate the Sunday celebrations including, in addition to the Holy Mass and the Vespers, the blessing of the banks of the river Melezzo.
Info: circuitodeisanti.it – www.ecomuseomalesco.it – info@ecomuseomalesco.it