Sanctuary of the Madonna della Corona Historical Timeline

Origins

The site began as a hermitage, chosen for the same reason it impresses visitors now: it is almost inaccessible. A ledge part-way up a cliff, reachable only on foot, offered exactly the isolation a hermit wanted, and the devotion that grew around the place followed from that seclusion rather than from any settlement nearby.

The church

A church was built on the ledge in 1625, replacing the earlier structures and fixing the sanctuary in the form pilgrims would know for the next three centuries. It was reconstructed and considerably enlarged in the 1970s, which is why the interior reads as far more modern than the setting suggests — the older fabric is largely encased in the later work.

Present-day significance

Pope John Paul II visited in 1988, and the sanctuary remains an active pilgrimage destination drawing visitors from across northern Italy and beyond. Its dual character — a working shrine that is also one of the most photographed sites in the Verona province — shapes almost everything about a visit.