The Sanctuary of the Madonna delle Grotte in the town of

Mondolfo Mondolfo is a ''comune'' (municipality) in the Province of Pesaro e Urbino in the Italian region Marche, located about northwest of Ancona and about southeast of Pesaro, on the Adriatic Sea. Mondolfo borders the following municipalities: ...

, province of Pesaro and Urbino, region of

Marche Marche ( , ) is one of the twenty regions of Italy. In English, the region is sometimes referred to as The Marches ( ). The region is located in the central area of the country, bordered by Emilia-Romagna and the republic of San Marino to the ...

is a 17th-century

Roman Catholic Roman or Romans most often refers to: *Rome, the capital city of Italy *Ancient Rome, Roman civilization from 8th century BC to 5th century AD *Roman people, the people of ancient Rome *'' Epistle to the Romans'', shortened to ''Romans'', a lette ...

church, specifically a

Marian shrine A shrine to the Virgin Mary (or Marian shrine) is a shrine marking an Marian apparitions, apparition or other miracle ascribed to the Blessed Virgin Mary, or a site on which is centered a historically strong Blessed Virgin Mary, Marian devotion ...

History

The shrine was erected in 1682 by the Confraternity della Misericordia'' (of the Mercy). The church was erected after a terracotta statue of the Madonna and child were discovered inside a natural sinkhole in the local sandstone by a member of the Confraternity. Soon miracles were attributed to the statue and this brick and stone church was built to house the venerated image. Many of the architectural elements drive from a prior nearby castle, likely belonging to

Giovanni della Rovere Giovanni della Rovere (1457 – November 1501) was an Italian condottiero. He was a nephew of Pope Sixtus IV, and the brother of Giuliano della Rovere (1443–1513), Pope Julius II from 1503. Biography Giovanni della Rovere was born at Savona. ...

. The interior has baroque decoration. A cemetery was established adjacent in 1781.Tourism Office of the Marche
entry on sanctuary.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Madonna delle Grotte Mondolfo Roman Catholic churches in Mondolfo Roman Catholic churches completed in 1682 17th-century Roman Catholic church buildings in Italy