In the historic fabric of Este, among ancient streets and brotherly memories, stands the Ex-Chiesetta di Santa Maria Annunziata, known as “La Madonnetta”, a small sacred building that has been restored and returned to the city. Its history begins in 1585, when the Confraternity of the Flagellants, active since 1260, decided to build a new church on the site where it managed a hospital with the famous “wheel of the exposed”, a symbol of welcome and assistance to the most vulnerable.
In 1845, the church was profoundly transformed by the Este architect Giuseppe Riccoboni, who redesigned the façade, giving it the harmonious appearance still visible today. In the twentieth century, the building experienced alternating phases: desacralized during World War II, it was used as a warehouse and then progressively abandoned, leading to structural decay.
In 2015, a careful restoration intervention returned its architectural readability and historical value. The project involved the consolidation of the walls, the recovery of the original stones, and the restoration of the finishes, inspired by traces of the sixteenth-century marmorino.
Today, the Ex-Chiesetta di Santa Maria Annunziata is a small architectural and identity gem, a testament to Este's religious and social history, capable of combining memory, simplicity, and elegance.
