The legend of the picture and the shepherd
According to local tradition, the sanctuary is linked to a legend. It is said that one evening a shepherd, returning to the village after grazing his flock in the mountains, found a small painting among the bushes in the area known as Passoscio. The image depicted the scene of the Annunciation.
The painting was taken to the Church of Saint Anthony, which at the time was still intact and stands along the same mule track. The following day, however, the image had disappeared and was found once again at Passoscio. The shepherd, astonished, brought it back to the church, but when, for the third consecutive time, the painting was found in the same place, it was understood as a sign: the Virgin wished to be honored on the mountain.
It was therefore decided to consecrate the site by building a chapel to house the image, which was considered miraculous.
As often happens, the legend preserves a historical truth. Records dating back to the 15th century mention a rural chapel located here, along an important route connecting Pigna—and thus the upper Nervia Valley—with the area of Saorge, then part of the Duchy of Savoy.
In the 17th century, the church was restored and enlarged, and a convent was built alongside it, giving rise to the present sanctuary. The ex-votos preserved here, around sixty in total, mostly date to the late 19th century, although some older examples from the first half of the 19th century are also present.
Testo a cura di Maria Giovanna Casanova e Nicola Ferrarese, immagini di Nicola Ferrarese