Italiano
The Church of Our Lady of Lourdes is located on top of a small hill to the north of the Zocco hamlet in Erbusco, in an area called Alino. With ancient Roman origins, as evidenced by a tombstone found in the 17th century, the church is mentioned as the “Oratorio campestre di S. Maria di Alino,” or the rural oratory of Saint Mary of Alino.
It is described as in such a dilapidated state that its demolition was recommended. On the 1898 map, a rectangular chapel facing the road called “Via dei Morti” is marked, with a meadow in front where the victims of cholera were buried. In 1916-1917, thanks to the initiative of the parish priest Don Gian Battista Fava, the church dedicated to Our Lady of Lourdes was built. It originally had a large open portico, which was closed in 1955. In 1990, it underwent renovation work, including the installation of a new floor, the enlargement of the two windows in the nave, and the construction of stained-glass windows.
The church now has a rectangular plan with an east-west orientation. The facade has three centrally arched openings, with the two side ones blocked and the central one closed with a stained-glass window serving as the entrance door. The side walls are marked by three shallow recesses and a semicircular stained-glass lunette. On the south wall stands the small bell tower built in 1980.
The frescoes decorating the interior of the church are inspired by the life of the Virgin Mary. A large cloud dominates the ceiling, within which the symbolism of the Virgin conceived without sin unfolds. From the cloud, a large radial design emanates.