Madonna dell'Umiltà, Pistoia

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[1] 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 the Bishop of Pistoia, Niccolò Pandolfini, and the important families of the city decided to build the sanctuary to honor the Virgin.

[2] Originally the site had a small church or chapel, Santa Maria Forisportae, outside of the early medieval city 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 Duke Cosimo I Medici entrusted completion to Giorgio Vasari, who elaborated the tall dome.