Madonnina

While photographing throughout Tuscany in 2000 and 2001, Paula Chamlee found herself drawn to the great beauty, variety, and extraordinary craftsmanship of the Madonnina' shrines that can be found everywhere in Tuscany. Throughout the countryside and in towns and villages, these lovingly crafted personal shrines to the Virgin Mary bear witness to a deep-seated and popular faith in the Holy Virgin and the humanity she embodies. With a tradition dating back to antiquity, these cultural and religious objects continue to be created even today as protection for personal property, homes and their inhabitants. Whether sophisticated or primitive in design, the shrines represent a spirit of devotion expressed quietly and simply. Although they can easily be overlooked by the casual traveller, these small shrines are readily found along roadsides, among fields, at intersections and property lines, set in the walls of houses and barns, and even in the woods as well as other unusual locations. Chamlee discovered one in the midst of a marble quarry beside a busy pathway cleared for giant marble-moving machines. Paula Chamlee's sensitive portrayal of Le Madonnine in their variety and beauty are complemented by an informative essay by the Italian scholar Giuliana Bianchi Caleri, who writes about the history and tradition of the Madonna shrines in Italy.