Grotta di Sant'Angelo, Religious hermitage in Palombaro, Italy
Grotta di Sant'Angelo is a hermitage housed in a natural cave with a rectangular shelter measuring about 35 meters wide and medieval walls forming its interior structure. A semicircular apse marks the sacred area where worship took place.
The hermitage was first documented in 1221 when Pope Honorius III confirmed its connection to the Abbey of San Martino in Valle. This papal recognition established the site as an important pilgrimage destination.
The site evolved from a sanctuary dedicated to the goddess Bona, associated with fertility rituals, into a Christian place of worship. Visitors can still sense these overlapping religious layers in the cave's chambers and carved spaces.
Access to the hermitage involves a 15-minute walk from Sant'Agata d'Ugno following a fenced path with steps in steeper sections. Visitors should wear sturdy footwear and be prepared for uneven ground throughout the route.
The cave contains four differently shaped cisterns carved into rock that collected water, which ancient inhabitants believed to be divine milk for nursing mothers. These ingenious water systems reveal how the site was used across generations.
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