The Sanctuary of Our Lady of Grace at Mentorella, one of the oldest Marian shrines in Europe, has been entrusted to the Congregation of the Resurrection since 1857. It is located in the Prenestini Mountains at an altitude of 1,020 meters, about 65 km east of Rome. The church and monastery are built on a protruding rock on the eastern slope of Mount Guadagnolo (1,218 m a.s.l.). From here extends an extraordinarily beautiful panoramic view covering an area of several dozen kilometers.
The Mentorella Sanctuary was a favorite place of pilgrimage for Cardinal Karol Wojtyła during his stays in Rome. He also prayed here shortly before the conclave during which he was elected Pope. On the thirteenth day of his pontificate, October 29, 1978, John Paul II came to Mentorella. It was his first official pilgrimage and pastoral visit, during which he delivered a very important programmatic address on prayer as the primary task of the Pope. Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger also visited the Sanctuary many times, and later, as Pope Benedict XVI, he came on a private visit to Our Lady of Mentorella on October 29, 2005.
This place is associated with the conversion of St. Eustace in the 2nd century. He, together with his entire family, suffered a martyr’s death for the faith in Jesus Christ. Two centuries later, Emperor Constantine ordered a church to be built on the rock, dedicated to the Martyr, which was consecrated by Pope Sylvester I. Most likely by the end of the 6th century, Mentorella was entrusted to the Benedictine monks of Subiaco. In the mid-12th century, the shrine received the miraculous statue of Our Lady – the greatest “treasure” of Mentorella, which was crowned in 1901 by the Vatican Chapter. The Benedictines left the monastery and sanctuary they had founded at the end of the 14th century. Over time, the buildings began to fall into ruin and devotion to Our Lady of Grace weakened.
In the 17th century, the place was rediscovered by Fr. Athanasius Kircher – a German Jesuit and scientist who was convinced that Mentorella was one of the twelve monasteries personally founded by St. Benedict, and that the Saint had lived for two years in a natural cave located within the shrine. Fr. Kircher undertook the effort of rebuilding the site and reviving devotion to Our Lady of Mentorella. When he was dying, he asked that his heart be buried at the feet of the miraculous statue. Pope Innocent XIII, moved by this example, also expressed the wish that his heart be placed in the church.
After the suppression of the Jesuit order in 1773, interest in Mentorella once again diminished, which over time led to the degradation of the buildings and neglect of Marian devotion. On April 3, 1857, Pope Pius IX entrusted the Sanctuary to the Resurrectionists, and in 1864 he gave it to the Congregation as their perpetual property. The permanent presence of the religious and their pastoral care for pilgrims brought about a revival of pilgrim activity, and the frequent visits of recent Popes have spread devotion to Our Lady of Mentorella.
More information in Polish is available at: santuariodellamentorella.jimdo.com
Click on the image to download the guide in PDF format.
Sanktuarium Matki Bożej Łaskawej na Mentorelli (Włochy)
Via della Mentorella, 1
CAP 00030 - Capranica Prenestina (Roma - Italia)
+39 06 9547 1899
