[Oct. 2025] The reason we decided to go to Pizzighettone in Lombardy, Italy, on this day was because we had seen a photo of this extravagant church, St. Peter’s Church.
I had never seen a church covered in shining golden mosaics before.
After a delicious, rustic lunch, we decided to take a tour of the church.
According to the volunteer guide, the church dates back to the 18th century, but its story begins when a priest appointed here in 1940 replaced the existing statue of Mary with a beautiful new one.
During World War II, in March 1945, Allied airstrikes targeted a bridge over the Adda River, destroying the surrounding area, but leaving the church intact.
The priest, Don Pietro Mizzi, considered this a miracle and, based on his deep belief that it was all thanks to the statue of Mary, began decorating the church.
The exterior is covered in numerous mosaics modelled after famous paintings.
Of course, the interior is also magnificent.
There’s also a mosaic on the floor, and our guide warned us, “Please do not step on it as it’s made of glass.”
Mosaic portraits of past popes are also displayed.
These popes were chosen because they had a particularly deep reverence for Mary and placed her at the centre of their religious life.
For example, there was a portrait of Polish Pope John Paul II.
It must have cost a great deal of money to create such a mosaic-focused decoration, but it was all funded by donations from believers.
Under Father Mizzi’s guidance, the decorations were built little by little over time from the 1940s to the 1990s, using money donated by believers in miracles.
No funding was provided by the government or the Vatican.
I didn’t get the sense of the weight of history or high artistic quality that I often feel when entering churches; rather, while luxurious, it had a rustic, simple faith to it.
By the way, the bell tower of this church is completely bare compared to the main building.
When people started to decorate the bell tower, the rules changed and it was no longer permitted to decorate it as they pleased, so the tower remains in its original state.
