The Church of the Madonna di Loreto, built on an ancient and venerated roadside shrine that since 1581 housed an image of the “Madonna and Child” by the Tuderte painter Pietro Paolo Sensini, stands at the crossroads of Castelvecchio, between the current provincial roads of Collazzone and Duesanti, once an important road junction.
It is a spacious single-nave structure, covered with a barrel vault supported by arches, with a raised presbytery, lacking an apse and crowned by an incomplete brick-built pavilion with exposed facework.
The liturgical space, with Doric moldings, is plastered and features six decorated side niches, four of which house masonry altars; the original Baroque high altar, also made of stuccoed and decorated masonry, contains the fresco with the miraculous image painted by Sensini.
The symmetrical and linear front façade, also plastered, incorporates under the same gabled roofline the residences extending into the side wings of the building, beyond the ground-floor corner arcades. In addition to the church, sacristy, and the priest’s and farmer’s dwellings, the complex was equipped with rooms to accommodate pilgrims. Today, the church is part of a larger building adapted by the diocese into small lodgings for students and non-EU residents.
Description: A fresco depicting the Madonna di Loreto with the Child, originally placed at the center of a shrine likely existing and venerated for centuries. The current painting was commissioned along with the shrine’s renovation in 1581 and is attributed to Pietro Paolo Sensini.
In use since: 1581
Image: Painting
Notes on the collection: Numerous ex-votos were recorded—even before the sanctuary was completed, it was documented that the high altar, built around the venerated painting, was covered with them.
On July 29, 1621, Bishop Ludovico Cenci ordered the compilation of a special (now lost) book to record pilgrims’ offerings and the graces received by the faithful through Mary’s intercession.
1602 (general devotion)
On May 11, 1602, a man named Simone Graziani was passing through Castelvecchio on his way to the Sanctuary of the Holy House of Loreto to pray for the healing of his possessed son, who accompanied him. A violent downpour forced the two pilgrims to take shelter inside the chapel dedicated to the Madonna, long-standing and venerated, which had been restored in 1581. That same day, his son Giacomo was miraculously healed, and the father saw his wish granted through the intercession of the sacred image of the Madonna of Castelvecchio.
Construction of the sanctuary began in October 1604 to enclose the shrine of Castelvecchio following the miraculous healing of a pilgrim’s possessed son on May 11, 1604. News of the event spread quickly, and in the following days and months, a great multitude of faithful came to pay homage and seek graces from the image; each pilgrim left offerings of money and goods as tangible proof of their devotion. The ecclesiastical authorities, starting with Bishop Angelo Cesi, realized the need to build a larger sanctuary to accommodate the growing crowds. The project was entrusted to Valentino Martelli, one of Umbria’s most important architects active in Todi at the time. The essential structures were completed in 1609, and besides the church, sacristy, and priest’s and farmer’s dwellings, the complex included rooms for pilgrims.
Pastoral visit records, besides praising the beauty of the site and commending the rectors for their care of the temple, document that throughout the 17th and 18th centuries, the sanctuary was a constant destination for processions and pilgrimages: crowds of devotees turned to the venerated image of the Madonna housed there. On July 29, 1621, Bishop Ludovico Cenci ordered the compilation of a special (now lost) book to record pilgrims’ offerings and graces received through Mary’s intercession. However, by the late 18th and early 19th centuries, records indicate a general decline and the abandonment of sound administrative practices. By the mid-19th century, after another miraculous event, pilgrimages and devotion revived. Today, the church is attended by the few remaining inhabitants of Castelvecchio.
On Saturday, May 11, 1602, Simone Graziani of Scuccurla di Campagna (identifiable with today’s Sgurgola in the province of Frosinone) passed through Castelvecchio. Graziani had with him his 18-year-old son Giacomo, who was possessed (ab immundis spiritibus oppresso), and was taking him to the Sanctuary of the Holy House of Loreto in the Marche region to seek healing before the miraculous image of the Madonna. As they neared the crossroads, a sudden violent downpour forced the two pilgrims to take refuge inside the existing chapel. While waiting for the storm to pass, Simone Graziani humbly and devoutly prayed to the Blessed Virgin depicted on the wall before him. That same day, Giacomo was healed of his affliction, and the father joyfully saw his wish granted through the intercession of the sacred image of the Madonna of Castelvecchio. The news spread rapidly, and a great multitude of faithful came to the shrine to seek graces and leave alms. The ecclesiastical authorities decided to build a larger sanctuary around the modest chapel to accommodate pilgrims, manage the growing crowds, and honor the site with solemnity. (This account is contemporary to the event and was written by Luca Alberto Petti, notary of the Episcopal Curia of Todi, in an old book of the Castelvecchio church. The original, like other precious registers belonging to the church, has been lost. However, an authentic copy exists, faithfully transcribed in 1717 by Reverend Benedetto Boncompagni, abbot-curate and vicar forane of the Castle of Viepri, under whose jurisdiction the church of the Madonna di Castelvecchio then fell.)
In 1604, as the shrine stood on the boundary of the parish jurisdiction of San Giorgio delle Torri, its spiritual and religious care was temporarily assumed by the rector of that parish, while the administration of the abundant offerings was entrusted to a layperson. Once the sanctuary was built, the church was established as a residential chaplaincy, initially free from any jurisdiction and directly subject to the Bishop of Todi, who appointed the rectors (usually three) to oversee economic and material governance. A chaplain, appointed by the bishop, was responsible for spiritual administration, sacraments, and Mass celebrations, with the obligation to reside at the sanctuary. In 1653, during a pastoral visit, the bishop noted certain neglect and placed the parish under the control of the Castle of Torri, entrusting the parish priest with overseeing the chaplain and rectors. The sanctuary was governed in this form until the first half of the 19th century. After Italian unification, the roles of resident chaplain and lay rectors disappeared, as spiritual care and material administration had already been concentrated in the hands of the Torri parish priest for at least a decade. From 1860 to 1889, Don Giorgio Galli managed the sacred site, succeeded by the abbot-parish priest of Santa Maria di Viepri, Don Domenico Ranucci, a priest from Massa Martana. From this point, the Sanctuary of the Madonna di Castelvecchio passed from Torri’s jurisdiction to that of Viepri, where it remains today under the guidance of Abbot-Parish Priest Don Bernardino Pagliochini.
SP421, 06056 Castelvecchio PG, Italy
