santuario, diocesano, San Magno

High in the Val Grana, at 1,760 metres, the Santuario Diocesano di San Magno commands the centre of a spectacular alpine bowl. Green pastures sweep upwards to the peaks of the Tibert, the Parvo and their neighbours. This is a sanctuary of the diocese, as formally recognised in September 2023. Its principal feast falls on 19 August, and tradition once required pilgrims to circle the church nine times, in prayer and song, as a form of novena. The festival procession extended to a stone pillar, still standing, along the old road from Chiappi. In 1900, a level path was made, culminating in a great cross. A curious piece of folklore survives in the Baja: twelve members who serve three-year terms, with four replaced annually. In their final year, the elders, called Abà, elect a leader to head the procession, preceded by a standard-bearer. The group, still active, wears plumed hats (worn even inside the sanctuary), bright rosettes, and carries a flag and ribbon-decked halberds. Below the piazza, facilities for pilgrims were carved out in 1991.

Description via source. Coordinates and heritage data from the Atika atlas.