Situated in a panoramic position, as a balcony looking out onto the Val di Sieci, is the sanctuary of the Madonna del Sasso, a religious edifice whose history dates back many centuries.

History
During the High Middle Ages some of the caves in the area were chosen as places of hermitage (see S. Brigida). Tradition states that between 1484 and 1485 Our Lady appeared more than once to a young shepherdess by one of the tabernacles built by the hermits.

The devoutness stemmed from this event led to the building of a small oratory soon followed, as the fame of the place increased, by a much bigger edifice (between the end of the 14th and the beginning 15th century)
All the buildings were later on surrounded by a wall and in the 17th century a loggia was added to receive pilgrims.
 

The tradition
Until some time ago, on the second Sunday of May, the sanctuary of the Madonna del Sasso had become the destination of a pilgrimage of believers coming from a vast area.
Groups of believers, grouped according to their parish church, used to walk up to the sanctuary, following a procession.
The huge participation to the event often caused fights and brawls as testified by an inscription under the loggia.

The visit
We recommend to reach the sanctuary via the pedestrian path passing along the so called “Strada delle Lucole”.

Once entered the sanctuary fence, the view from the low wall facing the valley is just beautiful.In the corner under the loggia opens the Upper Oratory.
At the back of the church stands the great major altar (about 1504), attributed to a pupil of Sansovino; underneath the altar are the rocks where it is told that the shepherdess saw Our Lady appear.

The Lower Oratory is accessed from an inner staircase, with the venerable image of the “Madonna delle Grazie”, the “Tabernacolo dell’Eremita” with the rocks near which Our Lady appeared and the cell of S. Andrew.

The sanctuary of the Madonna del Sasso is in the centre of a Natural Protecte Area, full of interesting itineraries..