Sanctuary of Our Lady of Loreto

Site overview

The Sanctuary is located in Forno Alpi Graie, a hamlet of Groscavallo, at an altitude of 1340 meters. The original chapel was built in 1631 at the behest of Pietro Garino following an apparition of the Virgin Mary in that place. It was the year 1629 when Pietro Garino went with two other companions on a pilgrimage to the summit of Rocciamelone; near the small chapel that housed the icon of the Madonna, he found two small paintings depicting the Virgin of Loreto and Saint Charles Borromeo. Atmospheric agents had somewhat worn the paintings, and Garino thought of bringing them down to the valley and restoring them, only to bring them back to Rocciamelone the following year. The man was originally from the Forno hamlet but lived in Turin where he worked, and he entrusted the paintings to a skilled painter. The year 1630 arrived, and by then the plague was raging everywhere. Garino, who had taken refuge in Forno, went one day to collect the paintings he had left in Turin and, while waiting to bring them back to the summit, he placed them in a chest. After the blessing of the Chapel in 1632, pilgrims increased and the building was not adequate to accommodate such a large number of faithful. In 1750, works for a first expansion were started, then interrupted and restarted in 1757. In 1843, the works that brought the Sanctuary to its current state were completed.