Santuario della Madonna del Ponte

The Sanctuary of the Madonna del Ponte stands beside the surviving arch of the Roman Bridge of Augustus at Narni Scalo. Built in the eighteenth century around a rock-cut grotto and its image of the Virgin, it combines Roman masonry, medieval frescoes and Baroque decoration.

Why it matters

Local tradition dates the sanctuary's origin to 1714, when Angelo Fanelli discovered an image of the Madonna in a grotto beside the bridge. The devotion that followed led the bishop of Narni to commission a church designed by Giovan Battista Giovannini.

What to notice

The church's façade has a broad tympanum and paired pilasters, with a semicircular forecourt in front. Inside, a barrel-vaulted nave rises toward a dome. The inscription “In capite eius corona stellarum duodecim” — “On her head a crown of twelve stars” — appears with the Madonna's initials. The adjoining grotto is formed from Roman concrete and decorated with Baroque stucco by Michele Chiesa; its rear wall preserves frescoes of the Madonna and Child.

Context and history

Construction began in 1716 and was completed in 1726; the church was consecrated in 1728. The frescoes in the grotto are dated to around the twelfth century and have been associated with Benedictine monks from San Cassiano. An annual festival has been held around the Nativity of Mary on 8 September since 1914.