The Madona Shrine

I grew up In east Boston, Orient Heights,to be exact. NOT a lot going on there. Back then it was basically an Italian-American neighborhood separated from the city by water and bounded on one side by the airport(Thanks Logan for all my current hearing problems)

One nice, and unusual point of interest was, and still is, The Madonna Shrine. A 35 foot statue of the original Madonna, (NO NOT THE POP ICON) surrounded by a large brick plaza which doubled as an outdoor chapel.

And offers very nice views of the neighborhood as well as the airport. Yes you can see the particular three decker I grew up in down there. Many a time I wandered up here, making use f the plaza to stage as a castle, fort, tower or spaceship. I was a bored well read child with an active imagination. the views of the airport beyond only further fueled my dreams of getting the hell out of Dodge.


And yet lately, I've been thinking of the old neighborhood with a lot more nostalgia and affection. maybe I'm just getting older and sappy...

Here's a little history, or herstory as the case may be, from the Shrine's site:

The 35-foot-high statue of the Blessed Mother was created by Italian-Jewish sculptor Arrigo Minerbi — free of charge. He had escaped Nazi persecution thanks to the protection of the Don Orione Fathers in Milan, and this statue was his way of thanking them. It stands across the street from the Don-Orione Retirement Home.

So the next time you're visiting Boston and a little fed up with the over touristy-ness of Fanuel Hall take a little side trip across the bay to Eastie and visit the old gal, she'd love to see you!