A Latin cross-shaped building designed by architect Girolamo Rainaldi, featuring an ovoid dome conceived and executed by Andrea Selvi, later modified and partially decorated by Mariano Pepi. To the left of the cross lies the Chapel of the Blessed Sacrament, and to the right, the Oratory of the Holy Cross. The façade is simple, rendered in plaster and nenfro stone, with a grand stone portal topped by a modern large window and a similarly stone-framed oculus.

**Description:** A polychrome wooden statue from around 1616 depicting the crowned Madonna standing with outstretched arms, adorned in sumptuous robes with gold decorations.
**In use since:** 1616
**Image:** Statue
**Collection notes:** A very rich collection
**Types of ex-votos:** Inscribed tablets or plaques, painted tablets, goldsmith objects, real or depicted prosthetics, various objects
**Current preservation:** Housed in the museum within the sanctuary.

**Brief summary of the memories and miracles** accompanying the arrival of the miraculous image of Our Lady of Suffrage, venerated in the Collegiate Church of San Giovanni in the Land of Grotte di Castro and crowned by the Most Illustrious and Reverend Chapter of St. Peter in Rome, offered by the Most Eminent Cardinal Giuseppe Garampi, Archbishop and Bishop of Montefiascone and Corneto, Montefiascone 1790.

In 1616, at the initiative of the Lenten preacher Father Angelo da Ronciglione, a Capuchin from the Collegiate Church of San Giovanni Battista, the statue of the venerated image of Our Lady of Suffrage was introduced into the church, brought from Rome and welcomed by the entire populace. Construction of the new sanctuary began only in 1625 and continued until 1672.

Numerous and repeated maintenance, transformation, embellishment, and restoration works have been carried out on the sanctuary:
– In 1713, the original altar by Valeriano di Silvestro da Bagnaia was replaced with the current *Gloria* by Bartolomeo De Zettis.
– In 1814, the right transept pillar was reinforced.
– In 1818, the bell tower spire was repaired.
– In 1874, the Sacristy ceiling was redone.
– In 1877, the supporting pillar of the old sacristy dome was rebuilt.
– In 1861, due to a landslide northeast of the church, a retaining wall was constructed.
– Between 1886 and 1888, under Archpriest Don Ferdinando Franciosi, extensive restoration work was carried out on the entire building, and the Oratory of the Blessed Sacrament was decorated by painter Luigi Fontana.
– The basilica was damaged by the 1919–1921 earthquake and was reinforced by the Civil Engineering Corps in 1925.
– In 1954, the high altar was renewed with a sculpture by Dante Ruffini.
– Between 1962 and 1965, roofs, the bell tower, and oratories were restored, and the Treasure Room was set up to preserve and display ex-votos.
– In 1975–76, the chapels were restored, and the basilica’s underground areas were uncovered and later converted into a museum.
– Finally, on May 7, 1987, the crypt shrine was opened for worship, consisting of a chamber excavated in tuff with low-rise arches of tuff blocks on pillars embedded in the walls.

In reality, the only indulgence granted—of which the original parchment is preserved in the sanctuary’s museum—predates the building’s transformation into a sanctuary and dates back to June 24, 1462, when Pope Pius II visited the Church of San Giovanni.

The sanctuary, built within the structure previously dedicated to St. John the Baptist, appears to have been constructed during the Lombard era, around 780. Until 1378, it was under the jurisdiction of the bishops of Orvieto, and afterward, it became part of the Diocese of Montefiascone.

As early as 1366, the church was endowed with a canonry, thus always considered a collegiate church. The Chapter consisted of three canons and a parish priest (called an archpriest from 1625 onward), and from the 17th century, additional canons known as *Soprannumerari* were added.

Records mention a protector cardinal, Odoardo Farnese, who commissioned architect Girolamo Rainaldi to begin work on the new structure around 1625.

01025 Grotte di Castro VT, Italy