“The Basilica of Superga was born at the wish of Duke Vittorio Amedeo II, following a vote made to Madonna delle Grazie in 1706 during the siege of the Franco-Spaniards in Piedmont. The construction of the Basilica is due to Filippo Juvarra, a messian architect of Casa Savoia…Of particular interest are the numerous altar paintings and the dome, inspired by the works of Roman Francesco Borromini. In the Chapel of the Vote, inside the Basilica, is preserved the wooden Statue of Our Lady of Graces in the seventeenth century, the same one that Vittorio Amedeo II addressed to win the battle.
In 1706 the city of Turin is invaded by the Franco-Spanish army of Louis XIV and the Piedmont militaries, together with the Austrian allied troops, are in difficulty. Duke Vittorio Amedeo II and Prince Eugene of Savoy-Soisson, who lead the local army, climb to Superga hill to observe the battlefield from above. In a small church on the hill, in front of the Statue of Our Lady of Grace, the Duke makes a vote: if he had won, he would have built a large church in honor of the Virgin. After a tough battle the enemy army is defeated and the liberated city. Vittorio Amedeo II is faithful to his commitment, entrusting the construction of the Sanctuary to the architect of the Court, Filippo Juvarra. To complete the complex, the existing church will be demolished and the forty-meter hill lowered.” http://www.basilicadisuperga.com/it/cosa-visitare/
