Nostra Signora della Salute Sanctuary, Romanesque sanctuary in Volastra, Italy.
The Nostra Signora della Salute Sanctuary is a Romanesque church built from sandstone blocks with a single nave interior and traditional medieval details. The structure sits on a hilltop surrounded by terraced vineyards and olive groves in the small village of Volastra.
The sanctuary was built between the 10th and 12th centuries and stands among the oldest religious structures in the Cinque Terre region. The statue of Mary received its crown in 1861, marking a deepening of local devotion and the site's importance to the community.
The sanctuary serves as a place of devotion for Volastra residents and holds central importance in their religious practices. Pilgrims and visitors come to pray before the crowned statue of Mary, which reflects the community's faith and protection through the saint.
The sanctuary is accessible via marked pathways that connect villages in the Cinque Terre region and wind through vineyard terraces and olive groves. It sits in a quiet hillside village and is best reached on foot, with trail conditions varying depending on the season.
The sanctuary is part of a tiny community with fewer than 200 residents, reachable only by foot trails and unchanged for centuries. This isolation allowed the site to resist modern changes that have affected other parts of the Cinque Terre.
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