The precious collection of ex votos of Madonna that has come down to us, mostly composed of painted tablets, counts 353 pieces dating from May 7, 1486, to 1893. There are also two small canvases, dated 1617, by non-popular hands, which repeat the representation of the miracle of Stefano Cavaccione and that of the noblewoman Angiola Romana.
Additionally, small jewels, silver or embroidered hearts, and various objects, raw testimonies of past diseases or narrowly escaped dangers, are on display. They testify that even in Madonna, scattered throughout the church, there was that colorful universe of ex votos that men have accumulated in sacred places since ancient times to express a hope or, more often, to pass on the certainty of a miracle that has occurred.
We can imagine that the devotees brought the ex votos to the sanctuary during a special thanksgiving visit, or on one of the three great annual feasts of the Virgin: the Annunciation, the Assumption, and the Nativity, during which specific ceremonies for the acceptance of vows were also planned.
