The building constructed to incorporate the primitive Maestà has a rectangular plan, measuring externally 13 meters in length and 9 meters in width. The roof is gabled, and the bell tower is a simple wall-mounted structure. The church features the characteristics of a processional sanctuary, with two entrance doors on the shorter sides to facilitate processions. The interior consists of a single nave with a large 15th-century window on the wall opposite the altar, illuminating the entire church. On the side of the road opposite the sanctuary stands a large building—now used as a residential dwelling—which oral sources identify as the ancient monastery and hospice for pilgrims.
**Description of the Cult Object:**
The object of veneration is a fresco depicting the Madonna enthroned with the Child, attributed to the school of Lorenzetti. It was restored in 1511 by the Perugian painter Bartolomeo di Carlo. The fresco is located above the altar, beneath a neo-Gothic tabernacle built in the 19th century and protected by a wrought-iron grille.
**Date of Use:** Between 1300 and 1350
**Image:** Painting
**Original Location of the Sanctuary:** Votive frescoes once covered both the interior and exterior walls of the church, and ex-votos surrounded the image of the Virgin, believed to be miraculous.
**Types of Ex-Votos:** Jewelry, Other
**Current Preservation:** Only the interior votive frescoes remain, though in poor condition. The exterior ones have completely disappeared. For security reasons, the ex-votos around the image have been removed, leaving only a few silver hearts.
The church was likely built around the mid-14th century by devotees who came to honor the image of the Madonna (a prized 14th-century painting attributed to the school of Pietro Lorenzetti), which was believed to have miraculous powers. The numerous votive frescoes covering the walls attest to this devotion. The first documented evidence of this site dates to June 28, 1400 (a will requesting the creation of one of the votive frescoes).
Between the late 14th and early 15th centuries, the abbess of the Cistercian convent of Santa Giuliana engaged in a prolonged legal dispute with the guardian of the Franciscan friars of San Francesco in Perugia over ownership of the small sanctuary, which was growing increasingly wealthy through bequests and donations. Pope Boniface IX granted it to the friars in 1403, but the nuns refused to concede. In 1413, Pope John XXII returned it to the nuns, though the magistrates of Perugia later intervened, confirming the friars’ ownership in 1466. The dispute only ended around 1470 when Foresio Vannucci of Cortona, acting on behalf of Pope Paul II, issued a final ruling in favor of the abbess of Santa Giuliana.
In the 16th century, devotion remained strong, but by the 17th century, a slow decline began, worsening in the 18th century. By the end of that century, the neglected site was renovated, and all votive frescoes were covered with whitewash. The exact period when the sanctuary fell into disuse is unknown.
In 1859, ownership of the church passed from the nuns of Santa Giuliana to the parish of Sant’Egidio, which entrusted its care to the Sisters of the Most Holy Sacrament of the Rosary, who were active in the area. In 1913, during new restoration work, the remaining votive frescoes were uncovered. The church reopened for worship in 1978 after further restoration, though the fresco restoration remains incomplete, and the valuable paintings continue to deteriorate.
In recent years, the Bishop of Perugia, due to its geographical location, has recognized this site as having a special vocation as a sanctuary for pilgrims.
Between the late 14th and early 15th centuries, the abbess of the Cistercian convent of Santa Giuliana engaged in a prolonged legal dispute with the guardian of the Franciscan friars of San Francesco at Porta Santa Susanna in Perugia over ownership of the small sanctuary, which was growing increasingly wealthy through bequests and donations. Pope Boniface IX granted it to the friars in 1403, but the nuns refused to concede. In 1413, Pope John XXII returned it to the nuns, though the magistrates of Perugia later intervened, confirming the friars’ ownership in 1466. The dispute only ended around 1470 when Foresio Vannucci of Cortona, acting on behalf of Pope Paul II, issued a final ruling in favor of the abbess of Santa Giuliana.
In 1859, ownership of the church passed from the nuns of Santa Giuliana to the parish of Sant’Egidio, which entrusted its care to the Sisters of the Most Holy Sacrament of the Rosary, who were active in the area.
Via Assisi, 89, 06134 Perugia, Italy
