Santuario dell'Ancona

Halfway down the slope from Spilimbergo's Duomo to the Tagliamento, the Santuario dell'Ancona is a small porticoed shrine with a late-fifteenth-century fresco of the Madonna and Child. Its position above the river reflects the historic importance of the Tagliamento crossing.

Why it matters

The shrine grew from a small votive site into a church by 1672, using materials salvaged from San Girolamo in Saletto after a flood damaged that church. A loggia was added in 1687. Local tradition calls it “la chiesetta degli innamorati,” the church of lovers, connecting the shrine to the landscape and community of Spilimbergo.

What to notice

The building has a single nave, a small bell tower along its left side and a portico carried on five columns. Inside, the altar is made of polychrome marble and the late-fifteenth-century fresco shows the Madonna and Child between two angels. The shrine's position on the slope offers a broad view over the wide, stony bed of the Tagliamento.

Context and history

The shrine's earliest dedication is recorded as Santa Sabbata, or Santa Sabida. A local account associates this name with pre-Christian traditions connected to running water. By 1597, the cult had been associated with the Madonna della Mercede, invoked as a protector from the dangers of the ford. The church was rebuilt by 1672 and received its loggia in 1687. It was damaged in the 1976 earthquake and restored by 1978. Painted ex-voto tablets left by worshippers are preserved in the parish archive.