Eremo della Madonna della Mazza

The Madonna della Mazza sanctuary stands on the mountain above Pretoro. A small church and two-storey hermits' residence preserve a devotional site once known as Santa Maria del Monte.

Why it matters

The complex connects medieval monastic ownership with the religious traditions of Pretoro. Its later name comes from the sceptre, or mazza, held by the wooden image of the Madonna and Child.

What to notice

The church has a single nave, splayed windows and a portal framed by twisted columns with floral capitals. Small hanging arches continue along parts of the exterior. A blocked doorway with a decorated architrave and a closed internal arch record changes to the building. The fifteenth-century wooden Madonna forms the devotional focus of the sanctuary.

Context and history

The site is documented in 1324–1325 and was associated with the Cistercians of Santa Maria d'Arabona. Periods of ruin were followed by restoration completed in 1843. Traditions of carrying the image between the village and mountain church belong to this later history. Legends tell of its miraculous return to the sanctuary and footprints left in an unexpected snowfall, expressing the community's attachment to the place.