{"id":2874,"date":"2020-06-10T10:24:10","date_gmt":"2020-06-10T08:24:10","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.visitcinqueterre.eu\/2020\/06\/10\/i-santuari-delle-cinque-terre\/"},"modified":"2020-06-18T16:17:08","modified_gmt":"2020-06-18T14:17:08","slug":"santuari-cinque-terre","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.visitcinqueterre.eu\/en\/2020\/06\/10\/santuari-cinque-terre\/","title":{"rendered":"The Cinque Terre’s shrines"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

The villages of the Cinque Terre are dominated by as many Marian shrines to which the inhabitants are linked by deep and authentic devotion. They are all accessible by car, along the coastal road and are connected to their respective villages by ancient mule tracks and from each other by the Via dei Santuari <\/strong>(i.e. Shrine’s Road), one of the most scenic hiking routes in the eastern Liguria.<\/p>\n\n

We have already talked in detail about the Shrine of Our Lady of Montenero<\/strong><\/a> in Riomaggiore and that of Our Lady of Health<\/strong> in Volastra<\/a> and it is time to introduce you to the other three hilly places of worship.<\/p>\n\n

The Shrine of Our Lady of Soviore<\/h2>\n\n

The Shrine of Our Lady of Soviore, 464 meters above sea level, is the oldest Ligurian shrine, mentioned in a document from 1225, where a wooden statue representing the Piet\u00e0<\/em> (Madonna holding the Christ dead body) is worshipped. The organ inside is a Giousu\u00e8 Agati from 1822.<\/p>\n\n

It is said that in 629, during the attack of the barbarian hordes of Rotari, the inhabitants fled heading towards the sea and in doing so buried an image of the Madonna in the locality of Fontanelle, just below Soviore. After more than a century, around 740, a hunting priest noticed a white dove disappearing inside a tunnel, he was intrigued and returned the next day with helpers who digging on the spot found the Piet\u00e0.<\/p>\n\n

A votive chapel was built on the site of the discovery, while the church casket of the Virgin was erected fifty meters above. The cult took on such importance that in the fourteenth century the church was demolished and rebuilt, with the participation of all the citizens of Monterosso<\/a>. The construction of the portico adjacent to the bell tower and the guesthouse for pilgrims on their way along the Via Romea<\/em>, which connected Rome to Santiago de Compostela, also began. In the Middle Ages, the shrine was then used as a shelter during the Black Plague.<\/p>\n\n

The Shrine of Soviore, shaded by centenary holm oaks recognized as monumental trees<\/em>, is celebrated three times a year: on July 7, to celebrate the discovery, on August 15, for the feast of the Assumption of Mary and on Sunday after September 8.<\/p>\n\n

The path that leads from Monterosso to Soviore starts at the top of Via Roma and is obviously all uphill. About an hour and a half walk for 2.75km.<\/p>\n\n