THE SACRED SHRINE
ITA
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On the main façade, on the second floor, next to the window with the seats, you can see a sort of depression in the wall, similar to a blocked-up window. This is yet another surprise that Malavilla has in store, proving its antiquity and perfect state of preservation.
The back of this shrine was originally plastered and painted with a sacred image, perhaps of pagan origin, perhaps Christian. This type of decoration is more common in the Alps, where stone and wooden buildings alternate with religious buildings with entirely painted facades. These are areas where the landscape is traditionally dotted with crosses or shrines with crucifixes made of painted wooden elements.
In our area, there are other forms of connection with the religious sphere, called maestà, which are placed at crossroads to indicate particularly important directions for travelers, such as churches, hospices, and bridges. They can be found walled into the corners of houses or near fords.
Maestà were generally marble panels made by itinerant stonemasons from Tuscany. They traveled with a donkey carrying small slabs of rough marble to be worked on request, in exchange for food, lodging, and a little money to live on. Certainly, in places where stone was worked more extensively, there were those who were able to create maestà and bas-reliefs on site.