Castelmonte Sanctuary is located at 618m. above sea level in the Julian Prealps, about 9km from Cividale del Friuli, in the municipality of Prepotto (Udine). The Lombards, who had settled in Cividale, chose Castelmonte to build a church, first dedicated to St. Michael and later to the Virgin Mary, which soon became a popular pilgrimage site.
One of the earliest references to the Sanctuary, of ancient foundation, is in 1200 when it was already a very important centre of worship. In the centuries that followed, the site was built up and enlarged becoming a fortified village with a single entranceway that was locked at night to protect the pilgrims that could always find shelter here. Despite the many changes over the years, the small borgo still conserves a medieval atmosphere.
The road to the Sanctuary, whether on foot or by car, is studded with 15 edicole, or sacred shrines, that represent the mysteries of the rosary. At the heart of the Sanctuary is a statue of the Virgin Mary and Child, known as the “Beautiful Virgin” for her young, pleasant face and as the “Living Virgin” for her vivacious and maternal look. There are no definitive reasons for her dark colour of her skin which is certainly part of the tradition of black madonnas in many European sanctuaries.
Friuli Venezia Giulia Film Commission
Piazza Duca degli Abruzzi 3 — 34132 Trieste
Phone: +39 040 3720142
Email: filmcommission@promoturismo.fvg.it
