"Macchina" for Taking the Madonna della Libertà on Procession

Abstract

This elaborately carved, painted, and gilded processional float in the Chiesa della SS. Trinità in Viterbo was used to carry the miraculous painting of the Madonna Liberatrice in procession. poles were placed in the square holes in the base so that men could carry this elaborate "macchina" in procession. Taking miraculous images on procession was considered an important way to activate the power of the image, and so processions were held regularly and on special occasions, in times of crisis. This work was made in the late 17th C and has presumably been more recently repainted and gilded. Photograph(s) licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.