Cappella Madonna d'Aquate

Stricken by a serious illness, Joseph Jacomella, an emigrant from Lostallo to Alsace, made a vow: if he were cured he would build a chapel in his native town. When he was heard, in 1704, Giuseppe Jacomella returned to Lostallo and had the building built.

In the chapel he placed wooden statues depicting Our Lady of Einsiedeln, St. Anthony and St. Joseph. The last two sculptures were stolen a few years ago. Over the years, the chapel had multiple functions; it served as a stopping point for Good Friday, Corpus Christi, and Rogation processions. On the occasion of some Marian feasts, Holy Mass was celebrated in the chapel. During periods of drought the Madonna was carried in procession to implore rain and the origin of the name is explained as follows: Cappella d'Aquate. It became a place of devotion for passers-by and for many people of the village, in particular, the elderly and a destination for walks as a sign of devotion, thanksgiving and prayer. The surroundings of the chapel also had special purposes.

The pupils who, after finishing school, had to look after the livestock, found in those places the ideal place to build huts thus protecting themselves from the rain and to play Indians on sunny days. The "Schliffers" arrived without delay as soon as the San Bernardino pass was opened and stopped in the vicinity of the chapel of Aquate. The place became a regular stop and so it regularly attracted curious people and children, who were fascinated by that unusual hustle and bustle of people, animals, carts and watched the expert carters while they discussed and traded with the gypsies about their horses.

After almost three hundred years, the chapel is now co-owned by the many descendants of Giuseppe Jacomella, who, after carrying out maintenance work and seeing the need for a mortuary, decided to donate it to the Municipality to use it for this purpose as well. The City Assembly accepted the proposal. At the dawn of the third millennium this chapel, which in the future will also serve as the last earthly resting place, together with the banner kept in the church of San Giorgio and offered by the people of Lostallo living in Rome, will be a testimony to the faith of our ancestors. They left with great nostalgia and hope of making their fortune and being able to return home. Meditating on the lives of our ancestors perhaps helps us to better understand those who today venture into our area in search of honest work. Both our people who had to leave at that time and these new emigrants would have appreciated then and would appreciate now a friendly face and a gesture of welcome.