Sanctuary of the Blessed Virgin of Castelmonte (UD)

The sanctuary of the Beata Vergine di Castelmonte is located on the top of a mountain 618 meters high, 7 km from Cividale del Friuli and about 25 km from Udine. The site was originally a Roman military post. The foundation of the sanctuary is probably very remote: some clues point to a chapel, perhaps from the 5th-7th centuries. In 1253 the sanctuary, already fortified and guarded with weapons to protect pilgrims and enlarged to become a village, became the property of the Chapter of Santa Maria Assunta in Cividale: the construction of a portico in front of the church for the shelter for pilgrims. Other works in the church became necessary in the mid-fourteenth and early decades of the fifteenth century to adapt the sanctuary to the needs of an ever-increasing flow of faithful and to strengthen the defensive structures against the Turks. On 21 September 1469 a lightning bolt of unprecedented power struck the top of the mountain causing the bell tower and a large part of the church to collapse; then a raging fire developed which reduced the ancient effigy of the Virgin venerated here to ashes and reduced the entire sanctuary to ruins. At the behest of the neighboring populations and by decision of the Canons of Cividale, the reconstruction of the entire complex began immediately. The reconstruction could be said to have been completed in 1479, the year in which peace between the Ottoman Empire and Venice was also concluded. Between the end of the 40s and the 80s of the last century the complex assumed its current configuration: in 1930 the façade of the church underwent a profound renovation, while the bell tower, from 1475, already modified in the seventeenth century, had three other elevations , the last of which in 1954. You enter the village of Castelmonte through two doors. The pilgrims who arrived from Cividale ascended to the village by a path now transformed into a stepped staircase which led to the beautiful tower radically restored in 1956. The pilgrims who arrived from the opposite side crossed the door of the Pocacilla or Poklecila (kneeler in Slavic) Once upon a time all those who arrived stopped there before entering. An alley leads to a small square in the center of which there is a well from 1645, the main water resource of Castelmonte until the construction of the first aqueduct in 1954. Before entering the church there is a small square where a large horse chestnut casts its shadow. Place of refreshment from where the landscape below is dominated. Following the stairway that descends, you arrive at the small cemetery close to the crypt wall. In it rest eminent figures of Capuchin Friars. The mosaic placed on the crescent above the entrance door is the work of the Treviso artist Angelo Gatto and was placed here in August 1979. In the presbytery, the high altar is from 1684, the work of Venetian masters. In the vault of the presbytery there is a fresco of the Virgin Mary “Assumed at the foot of the Trinity”, a work by Lorenzo Bianchini dating back to 1870. The statue of the Madonna and Child is the heart of the sanctuary. It was built around the middle of the 1400s. It is made of painted limestone and weighs over four quintals.
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[@rosannagover4465]

grazie

[@deniomaps7531]

Mi piace di vedere I tuoi video. Sono sempre molti bellissimi. Grazie.

[@ernstalbert3699]

Herzlichen Dank für den schönen CZcams-Auftritt. Ich bin immer wieder sehr gerne an diesem spirituellem Kraftort! Laudetur Jesus Christus und XAIPE MAPIA aus Niederöstereich!

[@MassimoNalli]

Vielen Dank, tschüss

[@sydneyr.cauveren7857]

Another beautiful treasure. Your preservation of Italy's enormously rich history is unique - "Massimo" - and an invaluable contribution to culture in so many ways Thank You from "Down Under" !

[@MassimoNalli]

Grazie Sydney! Ciao

[@larisashubina4684]

Wunderbar!!!👏

[@MassimoNalli]

😉

[@OZZO171]

beatiful

[@MassimoNalli]

👍

[@paolatravaini8427]

Qui è nata mia mamma, era proprietaria dell'albergo del pellegrino, ora ha 97 anni!