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The Church of Penitent Mary Magdalene in Poggio San Lorenzo: where a Sabine temple became an ex-voto
The church of Madonna dei Penitenti stands just outside Poggio San Lorenzo, in the heart of the Sabine countryside, about 60 km from Rome. It was built on the remains of a temple dedicated to the goddess Vacuna, and preserves on its back wall a 16th-century fresco of the Madonna and Child that the faithful consider to be miraculous.
The surviving fresco and the reconstruction
The story that goes around in Poggio San Lorenzo goes like this: the ancient church collapsed, but the fresco of the Madonna and Child remained intact. For the inhabitants, it was a sign. During the Second World War, the caves next to the church served as a shelter for the local population. When the war ended, the village decided to rebuild the church as an ex-voto offering.
