Description of the attraction
The Temple of Montenero, dedicated to the Blessed Virgin Mary of Grace, patron saint of Tuscany, is a religious complex located on Mount Nero in Livorno and is a place of pilgrimage. The complex, which has the status of a basilica, is administered by the Vallombrosian monastic order. It is notable for its gallery, which contains a huge number of items brought here on a vow for a happy salvation at sea.
The history of the temple dates back to 1345, when during the celebration of the Trinity, a poor crippled shepherd found a miraculous image of the Virgin Mary. Obeying intuition, he took it to the Montenero hill, which was popularly known as a haven of robbers and was considered a dangerous and gloomy place, a real "devil's mountain".
The news of the sacred find quickly spread throughout the area, and in 1380, work began on the construction of a chapel on the hill. The first guardians of the church were the Franciscans-tertiaries, then they were replaced by the Jesuits, and later, in the 17th century, by the Teatines. In 1720, the Teatintsy began to expand the temple, which was completed in 1744 - in particular, an oval atrium with rich decorations was built. At the same time, several miraculous phenomena of the Madonna were noted, for example, the phenomenon of 1742, when an earthquake struck Livorno. After the abolition of all religious orders by the Grand Duke of Tuscany Pietro Leopoldo, the Temple of Montenero fell into decay and practically turned into ruins. Fortunately, it was subsequently restored and restored.
Behind the Temple of Montenero, you can see caves carved into the hill, which probably served as a refuge for robbers and which are more than one hundred years old. At the beginning of the 20th century, these caves were expanded during stone mining, and during the Second World War they once again turned into shelters. In 1971, the caves were completely fortified and opened for inspection.
