The basilica, dedicated to the Blessed Virgin of the Ghiara, is situated in the heart of Reggio Emilia, along Corso Giuseppe Garibaldi.
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The origin and development of the Madonna della Ghiara sanctuary is linked to the presence of the Servite Order in Reggio Emilia. At the request of the community of Reggio Emilia, the Order established itself in the city in 1313, and built the monastery and the church dedicated to Saint Mary of the Assumption in the city’s western district called “Ghiara”, the Italian term for ‘gravel’, because this gravelly area was the bed of the Crostolo River before its course was diverted to the outer edge of the town walls around 1226.
