In Ponte Nossa, in the locality of Campolongo, we find the Shrine of Our Lady of Tears, also known as the “Madonna of Campolongo.”
This is the first duly documented tearing of blood from a Marian image in the history of the universal Church: according to tradition, on June 2, 1511, a shepherdess from the village staring at the picture saw the Madonna’s face change to tears of blood.
The miraculous image of the Madonna is still kept in the shrine today, along with the 16th-century polyptych attributed to the Vivarini workshop and several votive tablets dedicated to the Madonna herself, tangible signs of the popular faith that have made the Ponte Nossa shrine one of the most important destinations in the Bergamo area for Marian pilgrimages.
However, what catches the eye most is definitely the long stuffed crocodile placed above the right entrance: tradition has it that the large reptile was the gift of a trader in the late 16th century.