MARIAN APPARITIES Depiction of the Madonna della Misericordia under whose mantle the supplicants are placed; work of Nicol?da Venezia (XV century). "O Virgin of Monte Berico; pray for us": invocation to the Blessed Virgin; patroness of Vicenza; already savior of her proteges from the plague of 1404-1428. According to tradition; on March 7; 1426 the Virgin appeared to the peasant Vincenza Pasini while going to a vineyard on Monte Berico; and promised her that if she had a church built in her name there; the city would be freed from the plague. The woman's countrymen; however; did not believe her; and the plague continued to rage. On August 1; 1428; Vincenza woman had a second vision; and this time she managed to get the construction of the sanctuary started: as promised by the Patroness; the disease immediately subsided; and disappeared in two years with the conclusion of the first works. The religious who had been entrusted with the first Gothic church took care of its expansion and transformation into a sanctuary; another constructive impetus occurred in 1630 in conjunction with the new wave of plague. The new Baroque church benefited from continuous embellishments and improvements until; towards the end of the nineteenth century; it reached the aspect it still has. Devotional image; Italy 1916