Sanctuary of the Madonna del Faggio

The Sanctuary of the Madonna del Faggio is located in the Municipality of Montecopiolo in the heart of the Sasso Simone and Simoncello Park. Legend has it that among the pastures of the mountain, one day, two shepherds were helped by the miraculous intervention of the Madonna who appeared to them as a sacred image on a beech tree. The image was taken to the valley, in the village, to be able to honor it properly. Miraculously the day after the sacred image was again on the beech. It was a sign that a shrine had to be erected there and dedicated to the Virgin. The church that already existed in 1200, as evidenced by documents, was very different from what it currently is; in ancient times it was a simple cell and was also called "Hermitage of Santa Maria della Cella". The most recent renovation project dates back to the second post-war period: on this occasion the old rooms were enlarged, a portico was built for separate access to the hermitage and a new bell tower in place of the old cell. These interventions have unfortunately led to the complete destruction of the original ancient building of the thirteenth century. In the sanctuary there is a wooden statue of the Madonna, probably as old as the cell. Some testimonies of 1578, on the necessity of its restoration, make it certainly date much earlier than that date. The Sanctuary is visited over the course of twelve months by faithful who also come from the neighboring provinces. They become thousands of pilgrims, arrive on foot, participating in the festivals in honor of the Madonna, festivals that take place on the first Sunday after August, with the traditional procession that winds along the meadows surrounding the Sanctuary, and on September 8 each year .