SANTUARIO DI CASTELMONTE

A few kilometers from Cividale, capital of their duchy of Friuli, the Lombards founded a church dedicated to their patron saint Michael Archangel. The sanctuary was later dedicated to the Virgin Mary and became an important place of pilgrimage. A small fortified village developed around it, with a single gate that was closed at night to protect the holy places and the pilgrims. The site, isolated at the top of a ridge, in the middle of the woods, has kept its medieval charm and the faithful still come to pray before the statue of the "Madonna bella".