The Sanctuary of the Blessed Vergin of Saint Luke
Between Legend …
According to tradition, when the Greek pilgrim Teocle Kmnega received an image of the Virgin Mary painted by the Evangelist Luke by the canons of Saint Sophia in Constantinople, he committed himself to take it to the Mount of Guardia. When he arrived in Rome to discover that that mount was in fact in Bologna, he finally managed to find the image its proper home in 1160. Later, on the same site a church was built to honour the image.
...and History
The origins of the Sanctuary that rises upon the Mount of Guardia date back to 1192, when Angelica from Caicle, later Blessed, presented the canons of St. Mary of Reno with this land, in order to build a monastery. The first stone was set on 24th August 1194 and when it was completed the image of the Virgin with Child was placed here. In 1433, the people of Bologna brought the Virgin in procession, in order to plead her that a tremendous rain would cease and when they reached the Saragozza Gateway the rain did stop. The devotion of the people of Bologna towards the Virgin kept increasing, but the church was so run down that it needed long restoration and widening work. The new church was consecrated on 1st July 1481 by Bishop Sarsina. The arcade is a project by Gian Giacomo Monti and was built between 1674 and 1732. It extends its 666 arches for a length of about 4 km, from the church itself to the Saragozza Gateway. On 26th July 1723, Architect Francesco Dotti started the construction of a new sanctuary, which was consecrated on 25th March 1765.
[from www.bolognaracconta.com]