On the site of the apparition, donated by the Teri family of Salutio, a small church and a convent were built.
The church, with a single nave, is preceded by a small porch with a lowered arch, on which rests the neo-Gothic-style bell tower from the early 20th century. The church is accessed through a single portal. Behind the church is the sacristy, accessible through two small doors in the presbytery area. There is a single altar (originally there were three).
Description: The miraculous object is an oil painting on canvas, depicting the Madonna and Child in half-length, the work of a local painter. Both have a silver crown applied to their heads, a work from the 16th century. The so-called “rock of the apparition” is also venerated, placed in the presbytery area and partly in the sacristy behind it, partially chiseled to create the altar.
First use: in the year 1588
Epiphany: In 1588, the Virgin appeared to a shepherdess. The Virgin appeared on a rock and told her to inform the parish priest that a procession would appear the following evening, which indeed happened.
Image: Painting
Location: Other
Collection of ex-votos: No
In 1921, the parish had about 220 residents living in mountainous and disadvantaged areas. Starting from the post-war period, the local population experienced a sharp decline. The premises of the former convent attached to the sanctuary were converted into an elementary school and a farm. Since 1973, the church and the former convent have been entrusted to the scout group Arezzo 1; the parish priest of San Eleuterio in Salutio celebrates mass in the sanctuary only during the annual feast of the sanctuary or some scout gatherings.
Abbot Porcellotti (1865) recounts the miracle as follows: In the territory of the now-disused parish of Nassa, one day in 1588, the Blessed Virgin appeared to a shepherdess in the form of a venerable matron, seated on a high rock, and ordered her to tell her parish priest (a Don Giovanni Boni) that the following night he would see a long procession; that a convent for the Friars Minor should be built where the procession began; and that a cross should be planted where it ended, visible from the Sacred Mount of La Verna. The shepherdess obeyed; the parish priest believed, saw, and proclaimed the vision.
In 1973, restoration work began on the church and convent. The church had undergone interventions in the 18th century (as evidenced by an inscription inside and the stucco decoration) and in the 1920s, when the ancient cocciopesto floor was replaced with a tiled one. During the latest restorations, the altar steps were replaced. The convent also underwent modifications, including one in 1836, as attested by an inscription in the porticoed section. The building’s structure was originally set further back, as evidenced by the discovery of an arcade inside the building. During the restorations, the door jambs leading to the cells were found. This entry was compiled by Giuletta Cappelletti and Stefano Meacci.
In 1665, the friars were forced to abandon the convent located near the sanctuary. The related bibliography mentions unspecified persecutions against the Minors.
In 1921, Bishop Mignone stated that the sanctuary was under royal patronage and free collation. Since 1726, a Confraternity of the Madonna del Carmine had been present in the sanctuary, but it does not seem to have had any patronage rights over it.
Castel Focognano, Province of Arezzo, Italy
