Santuario di Santa Rita a Roccaporena

The Shrine of Santa Rita at Roccaporena is a twentieth-century church in the saint's birthplace, built to hold the community's devotion to her life and legacy.

Why it matters

The shrine connects the modern history of Rita devotion with the village that preserves places associated with her life. Its mosaics and sculptures present the saint's story within the setting of her birthplace.

What to notice

A portico and courtyard fountain with a bronze statue of Santa Rita precede the church. The interior has three naves, a porphyry floor and marble furnishings. Mosaics completed in 1967 depict the crucified Christ with Santa Rita and other saints. Rose and vine motifs, stained glass and a silver case containing the saint's cloak form part of the decoration.

Context and history

The sanctuary was built in the 1940s to designs by Della Piana and opened in 1948. Its construction followed the growth of pilgrimage associated with Rita's canonisation in 1900. The building uses a Romanesque-revival style with local stone. The apse mosaics, completed in 1967, unify the church's iconographic programme around the crucifixion and the saints connected with Rita.