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Madonna della Difesa
Date: Current
Notes: Fresco inside Madonna della Difesa done by Guido Nincheri...... From Wikipedia: Guido Nincheri (1885 – 1 March 1973) was a Canadian artist working mainly in stained glass and fresco. Born in Prato, Italy, he studied art in Florence and immigrated to Montreal in 1915 after a short stay in Boston where he decorated the Opera House.
     
      Nincheri designed the interior decoration of many Catholic churches across Canada and New England, including Saint-Viateur d'Outremont and St-Léon-de-Westmount (a Canadian cultural heritage site). He not only executed frescoes and stained glass, but also designed a number of churches, including St. Anthony of Padua in Ottawa and the Church of the Madonna della Difesa in Montreal, which is famous for its fresco depicting Benito Mussolini on horseback among a group of the faithful. In the United States many of his works are found in the Franco-American Catholic Churches of the Providence Diocese in Rhode Island. Three of his largest works are in the [Church of Christ the King], West Warwick, RI. His secular work includes the Roger Williams Park Natural History Museum in Providence, Rhode Island and the Chateau Dufresne in Montreal.
     
      In addition to the churches mentioned above, his frescoes can be seen in St Ann's Church in Woonsocket, Rhode Island; Ste. Amélie in Baie-Comeau, Quebec; St. Theresa of the Child Jesus in Ottawa; St. Michael's and St. Anthony's in Montreal; the Chapel of the Saints-Noms-de-Jésus-et-de-Marie Mother House in Montreal.
     
      Nincheri executed an estimated 2000 stained glass windows in about 100 different churches in Quebec, Ontario, the Maritimes, British Columbia and New England. One of his stained glass windows from Vancouver's Holy Rosary Cathedral was featured on a Canadian Christmas 45-cent postage stamp in 1997.
Contributed by: Notes courtesy of Wikipedia; photo, Mary Melfi

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The Church of the Madonna della Difesa Montreal
Little Italy, Montreal
Date: Current
Notes: The statue of the Madonna della Difesa which rests in the church by the same name in Montreal, Quebec is a copy of the one found in the Sanctuary of Maria Santissima della Difesa in Casacalenda, Molise, Italy. The Church of the Madonna della Difesa, the oldest in Quebec, was built, on the most part, by migrant workers who came from the region of Campobasso, Molise.
     
Contributed by: Mary Melfi

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The Church of the Madonna della Difesa, Little Italy, Montreal
Date: Current
Notes: A copy of the painting from which the image of Mother Cabrini was taken from can be found in the Church of La Madonna della Difesa in Montreal's Little Italy. Mother Cabrini's religious order, the "Missionary Sisters of the Sacred Heart" did charitable and religious work among the very poor, first in Italy, and then abroad. She established over 70 hospitals, schools and orphanages throughout the world. In the late 19th century and early 20th century quite a number of hospitals in Italy were run by religious orders. Nuns often acted as nurses (though, of course, they were not paid a salary, but were given room and board in return for their services). Despite the involvement of the church in health care, most services were beyond the means of the average Italian. Prior to World War II those living in the countryside had little, if any access, to hospital care. While "charity wings" in certain hospitals in Italy's larger centers did take in the needy, those living in the countryside couldn't afford the travel costs to get there. So, the sick and the dying were generally taken care of by family members at home; local doctors were called in, but only in times of emergency, as their fees were considered too high. Italian-born Mother Cabrini (became an American citizen in the 1912) tried to revolutionize Italian health care by not only insisting that all people, regardless of income, should have access to good medical care, but by actually going out into the world and creating institutions that offered free medical care to those in need. Being a dynamic and charismatic figure (the Oprah of her day) she managed to raise funds for dozens of first-rate hospitals in her lifetime (Columbus Hospital in New York City is just one of the many projects she saw to completion). In 1946 Mother Cabrini became the first U.S. citizen to be canonized by the Roman Catholic Church. She is considered the patron saint of immigrants. For more information visit: www.mothercabrini.org.
Contributed by: Mary Melfi

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Little Italy, Montreal, Canada
Date: Summer 2009
Notes: The Church of the Madonna della Difesa.
Contributed by: Mary Melfi

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Church of the Madonna della Difesa Montreal
Little Italy, Montreal, Quebec
Date: Current
Notes: The Church of the Madonna della Difesa (side view) in the winter. Photo: Mary Melfi.
Contributed by: Mary Melfi

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Little Italy, Montreal, Quebec
Date: Current
Notes: The Church of the Madonna della Difesa in the winter. Photo: Mary Melfi.
Contributed by: Mary Melfi

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Little Italy, Montreal, Quebec
Date: Current
Notes: In the 1950s this building which now houses l'Ecole Notre Dame de la Defence was one of the few elementary schools in Quebec that offered a bilingual education -- French and Italian. The school is located right next to the church of the same name.
Contributed by: Mary Melfi

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Little Italy, Montreal, Canada
Date: Summer 2009
Notes: School -- Notre-Dame-de-la-Defense.
Contributed by: Mary Melfi

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Little Italy, Montreal, Canada
Date: Summer 2009
Notes: Rue Dante and Avenue Henri-Julien.
Contributed by: Mary Melfi

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Little Italy, Montreal, Canada
Date: Summer 2009
Notes: On rue Jean-Talon and Casgrain -- main area of Montreal's Little Italy in the 1960s.
Contributed by: Mary Melfi

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