Inscriptions and coat of arms on the façade of Madonna della Grazia in Gravina, built in 1602

Everything you need to know about this church in the Italian town of Gravina is written on its face. Madonna della Grazia above the entrance is the name of the church. The eagle spreading its wings over a castle with three towers comes from the family coat of arms of Bishop Vincenzo Giustiniani, who raised this church in 1602. The date and the name we learned from the bottom line: Sanctae Mariae Gratiarum Matri Virgini Deiparae - Episcopus Gravinensis Vincentius Iustinianus Genuensis - Ex condominiis Chii - a fundamentis erexit 1602. The engraving PPP in one of the medallions is Propria Pecunia Posuit, that is, the church was built with Giustiniani's own money. In the second medallion is MMM, a dedication to Mariae Matri Misericordiae, Mary, Mother of Mercy. Above runs a line from the Book of Deuteronomy, Sicut eagle provocans ad volandum pullos suos and super eos volitans expandit alas suas et portat eos, something like "as an eagle that stirs up her young to fly, hovers over them, spreading out her wings". A sort of gloss: the eagle is not a symbol of power but a metaphor for care of the flock.