santuario, diocesano, Santuario Santa Maria delle Grazie

In the Sabine hills, the diocesan sanctuary of Santa Maria delle Grazie rises in the Ponticelli hamlet, within the comune of Scandriglia. This was Renaissance Italy, a time when noble families often expressed their faith and influence through ecclesiastical patronage. The Orsini family, who already owned a chapel and hermitage here dedicated to the Holy Trinity, commissioned the church and convent for the Franciscan Amadeiti order. Construction was completed in 1479, and the church was dedicated to Our Lady of Grace. The following year, a sacred image was installed with ceremony. The Amadeiti later lost their early fervour, and in 1568 the site passed to the Friars Minor, then to the Reformed Franciscans of the Roman province, who held their first chapter here in 1602. In 2024, the Bishop of the Diocese of Sabina-Poggio Mirteto formally recognised it as a sanctuary of diocesan importance.

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