Among the major attestations of the Marian devotion expressed by the people of Gemona del Friuli, there is the erection of the chapel of the Madonna del Rosario, which took place in 1682, inside the ancient sanctuary of Saint Anthony of Padua.
Main responsible of the architectural and decorative enterprise, with a profusion of frescoes and stucco (which for the most part have been lost in the earth- quake of 1976), was the painter of Swiss origin Melchiorre Widmar, who had lived in the Friulian town for quite some time. The completion of the works, after various ups and downs, took place in 1687. On that occasion, in November, a sumptuous ceremony was held in Gemona, again by Widmar, in honor of the Madonna del Rosario.
