Nostra Signora della Guardia, Religious shrine in Varazze, Italy.
Nostra Signora della Guardia is a shrine located on Monte Grosso, above the town of Varazze on the Ligurian coast of Italy. The church has a single nave with barrel vaulting and a bell tower that rises above the surrounding hillside vegetation.
The chapel was commissioned in 1864 by two nobles, Fabio Ivrea and Maria Teresa d'Agliano, who wanted a family burial place on the mountainside. Over time it grew beyond that private purpose and became a place of worship for the wider region.
Every August 29, people from Varazze and nearby villages gather here for an annual pilgrimage that has been observed for generations. The path up to the shrine is considered part of the devotional act, and many choose to walk it rather than take an easier route.
A walking path from Varazze leads up to the shrine over roughly 3 kilometers, passing mostly through pine forest with good shade along the way. The climb is gradual and manageable for most visitors without special gear.
Giacomo Della Chiesa visited this mountain shrine at the end of the 19th century, long before he became Pope Benedict XV in 1914. The visit connects a small chapel above a coastal town to one of the most prominent figures in early 20th-century Church history.
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