The Sanctuary of the Madonna della Salute in Solarolo was built between 1731 and 1735 to a design by the Faenza-born architect Carlo Cesare Scaletta. The church has an octagonal plan with four chapels, the largest of which houses an image of the Madonna della Salute, particularly dear to the local community.
The Sanctuary features forms that are distant from the Baroque taste widespread in Romagna at the time, due to the simplicity of its shapes and surfaces. The high altar, made of fine marbles, is the work of the Ravenna sculptors Giovanni and Domenico Fuschini.
The sacred image of the Madonna della Salute with Child is a terracotta relief made from a mould and decorated on engobe, a humble ceramic technique typical of devotional images in Romagna. The small-sized plaque and the brightly coloured decoration are the same as those found in common 17th-century pottery.
The Sanctuary houses a small museum of sacred art, open every day with free admission, which preserves a collection of votive tablets from the 18th century to the present day. The rooms also display ex votos, jewellery and objects donated to the Sanctuary by the faithful.
From November to February – every day from 8.00 am to 5.00 pm
From March to October – every day from 8.00 am to 6.00 pm
