The church, situated atop a hill a few kilometers from the center of Città di Castello, features a majestic façade preceded by a portico. This portico, which also runs along part of the two side walls, is adorned with a finely crafted coffered ceiling. In a neo-16th-century style, the lower part of the façade has an entrance portal flanked by two other access points, while the upper part features a large opening formed by a round arch topped with a triangular pediment, completing the connection with the sky.
Inside, there are three naves divided into five bays. The central nave is covered by a barrel vault and ends with a semicircular apse with a hemispherical dome, while the two side naves, smaller than the main one, are covered by a series of cross vaults. At their center, two side chapels open, one for each nave. A towering square bell tower rises along the northern side of the basilica.
The current church has a three-nave layout with five bays each, divided by pillars, a semicircular apse, and no transept. The external loggia was built in 1905. Additionally, a small house, a restaurant, and a memorial hall were constructed for the use of devotees and pilgrims.
**Description:** A fresco by an anonymous artist from 1348 depicting the Dormition of the Virgin Mary; on the sides and above the image, also in fresco, are the twelve apostles and the Coronation of Mary, a work by Annibale Gatti (1860). Crowned on September 16, 1888. Another object of veneration is the reproduction of the Lourdes Grotto, blessed by the Bishop of Città di Castello on March 25, 1927. Since then, the grotto has become a place of prayer, especially for the sick. Another devotion arose for the tomb of Father Luigi Piccardini, who died in 1895.
**First use:** In the year 1348
**Image:** Painting
**Collection of ex-votos:** No
**Original location of the Sanctuary:** On the sides of the venerated image.
**Notes on the collection:** The ancient collection was removed after the Second Vatican Council and subsequently dispersed.
The image of the Dormition of Mary venerated in the sanctuary was painted in fresco in 1348 inside a simple shrine. There are records of miraculous events (healing of epileptics) attributed to it, and to accommodate the faithful, a small chapel was built in 1406. In 1855, construction began on the current sanctuary, designed by Father Luigi Piccardini of the Oratory of Città di Castello, which incorporates the remains of the previous chapel, demolished in November 1857. In July 1944, the sanctuary building was damaged externally and internally by wartime events. In 1998, Pope John Paul II granted the sanctuary the title of Minor Basilica. Devotion and pilgrimage remain very much alive.
In 1895, the body of the founder of the current sanctuary, Father Luigi Piccardini of the Congregation of the Oratory, was interred on Calvary Hill near the sanctuary. In July 1944, the sanctuary building was damaged externally and internally by wartime events. In 1998, Pope John Paul II recognized the sanctuary as a Minor Basilica.
On May 7, 1998, Pope John Paul II elevated the sanctuary to the rank of Minor Basilica, granting a plenary indulgence for September 8, August 15, June 29, May 7, and December 8.
Viale Lazzaro Vitellozzi, 12, 06012 Città di Castello, PG, Italy
