Church of the Madonna della Difesa
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The Church of the Madonna della Difesa (it: Chiesa della Madonna della Difesa, fr: Église de Notre-Dame-de-la-Défense) is a church in Montreal's Little Italy, Canada. It was built by Italian immigrants to Montreal, specifically those from Molise, to commemorate the apparition of the Madonna in La Difesa, in Campobasso, Molise. It was designed by Roch Montbriant and Quebec artist Guido Nincheri. It is Romanesque in style and laid out in a Greek-cross floorplan. It was inaugurated in 1919.
It is famous for its large cupola and brick façade, and especially its frescos by Guido Nincheri. A particularly well-known fresco depicts Benito Mussolini; painted before World War II, it commemorates his signing of the Lateran Accords. A statue in front of the church commemorates "victims of all wars."
A National Historic Site of Canada, it is located at 6800 Henri-Julien Avenue at the corner of Dante Street (Jean-Talon or Beaubien metro stations) in the borough of Rosemont—La Petite-Patrie.
Three priests serve at the church: Padre Luca Brancolini, Padre Giuseppe Manzini and Padre Jacques Duplouy, members of the Priestly Fraternity of the Missionaries of Saint Charles Borromeo.
