Foreign tourists often do not perceive how many churches there are in Italy. And sometimes not even us Italians! But some are really special and surprising because they are built in really extreme places. This is the case of the Sanctuary of Madonna della Corona, a church built on a wall at the mouth of the Adige valley.
The itinerary we propose is the ideal destination for those who want to combine moments of prayer and inner serenity with opportunities to relax and enjoy the shows that nature can offer you in this enchanting place in complete tranquility.
The Sanctuary is located in Spiazzi, one of the most evocative places in northern Italy. It stands clinging to the rock of the mountains that surround it, 774 meters above the sea, overlooking the Adige valley. The first church was inaugurated in 1530.
There are two PATHS to reach the sanctuary: the first is a very beautiful staircase that starts from below from the village of Brentino, the second an asphalted road after the village of Spiazzi, which ends in a tunnel dug into the rock in 1922. This road is also only accessible on foot, and along the way there are the fourteen stations of the Via Crucis.
FUN FACT: inside the sanctuary there is the Scala Santa, a reproduction of the staircase found in Rome near the basilica of San Giovanni in Laterano. It is the ladder where Jesus went up and down several times on the day he was scourged, crowned with thorns and condemned to death on the cross, thus staining it with his blood.
There are traditions for believers to follow:
After dipping the hand in holy water, the sign of the cross is made.
You go up the 28 steps only on your knees and at each step you pray to the Lord.
With great recollection we meditate and pray on the Passion of Jesus Christ
FUN FACT: the Sanctuary is the end point of the so-called WAY OF THE TWO SANCTUARIES which begins in the sanctuary of the PIEVE DI CHIAMPO, crosses seven valleys of the Venetian Pre-Alps and arrives at the Sanctuary of the Madonna della Corona. It is a very popular walking path of devotion in the Venetian and Vicentine folk tradition.
CURIOSITY: THE MARIAN SANCTUARY “MADONNA DELLA CORONA” IS ONE OF THE HOLY DOORS OF THE 2016 JUBILEE WANTED BY POPE FRANCIS. AS IS THE SANCTUARY OF THE CHURCH OF CHIAMPO.
