VIVA - New Active Tourism Itineraries in Villanova

The peculiar name of the shrine dedicated to the Madonna of Interrios is a useful indicator for the possible identification of the medieval village of Interiola, which can be dated back to the mid-fourteenth century.
The church is now the result of different restoration works starting from a structure that can be dated back to the sixteenth century. The building adopts a single nave longitudinal plan with side chapels, a polygonal presbytery and a small portico leaning against one of the sides. Rebuilt during the eighteenth century, the façade is plaster free only in its structural elements: base and corner pilasters make up the structure of the façade which, in the centre, presents an architraved portal enclosed by slender pilasters on decorated bases. The portal is surmounted by a quadrangular window. The portico, leaning against the left side of the shrine, has four large round arches and a small bell gable on the side next to the façade of the church.

The loggia was built during the 1940s and it has always served as a shelter for the numerous pilgrims coming to the shrine. Inside the shrine there are numerous venerated wooden statues. Among those, it is worth mentioning the statue of the Madonna, now located inside the chapel of San Leonardo Parish Church dedicated to the Virgin of Interrios, in the village of Villanova Monteleone.

The interior is characterised by a single aisle with side chapels and is roofed by a barrel vault covered by soffits lying on massive pilasters descending to the ground. The polygonal presbytery, which houses a majestic polychrome wooden altar, is topped by a dome visible from the outside of the building.