Sanctuary of the Blessed Virgin of the Castle (Sanctuario of the Beata Vergine del Castello)

The Sanctuary, keenly supported by the Fiorano Modenese community and by Duke Francesco I, stands out above the village of Fiorano with its towers and dome. It draws its origins from a fresco depicting the Virgin and Child, considered miraculous for having escaped a fire started by the Spanish soldiers and for having protected the village from the plague of 1630. For these reasons, it was deemed necessary to erect a monumental sanctuary: as its architect, the duke proposed the designer of his palace in Modena, Bartolomeo Avanzini. The works proceeded slowly, so much so that one of the towers and part of the façade were only completed in the first half of the 20th century.