The Sanctuary of Our Lady of the Crown

A place of peace suspended between rock and sky. A wonderful jewel of spirituality and meditation set between the walls of Monte Baldo and the valley below. With two exceptional features: the famous wall carved into the rock and the reproduction of the Holy Stairs of Rome.

Not far from Lake Garda, the Sanctuary of Our Lady of the Crown is the favourite destination of thousands of pilgrims looking for reconciliation or simply to experience a moment of intense peace. Here the heart is relieved of daily fatigue and the eye is lost in nature’s embrace. Here each of us finds prayer and meditation. And sensations to carve in the soul.

History and art

A long tradition of faith and spirituality during the 13th century led to the creation in this area of a chapel dedicated to Mary. Construction of the Sanctuary began later, in the sixteenth century, when the two access stairs, still visible today, were also built: one with 556 steps and the other, narrower, with 234 steps.

After various renovations, between 1975 and 1978 the current Sanctuary took shape. It was on this new occasion that the rock became an integral part of the building. An architectural choice that today makes Our Lady of the Crown Sanctuary a unique example throughout Europe. Further value is endowed by the Holy Stairs, a model of the stairs in Rome, and the Via Crucis that is found on route on foot with its 14 stations enriched with bronze statues by the architect Raffaele Bonente from Verona. The reproduction of the Holy Sepulchre is very suggestive.

Inside the Sanctuary, we find numerous sculptural works, including magnificent examples in white Carrara marble by the Veronese sculptor Ugo Zannoni. The right-hand wall houses an extremely important historical and artistic heritage: 167 votive tablets, offered as gifts by individuals or entire communities as a tribute for the graces received.

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