Overview
An extremely pleasant natural and panoramic setting, dominating all the valleys of Porto Maurizio, surrounds the sanctuary's two buildings: the Romanesque chapel of 13th-century origin, on the site where a miraculous apparition was said to have occurred, and the main church added during the 15th century, with a portico on columns on the façade, and hanging arch cornices along the sides and the apses.
A volunteer association takes care of the place, helping to maintain what are considered the most important frescoes in the Imperia region under the pointed arches of the church. On the left nave and the corresponding apse, the Last Judgement, the Punishment of the Damned (datable to the 1580s) and Stories of St. John the Baptist are portrayed, while the Passion of Jesus and Stories of St. James (slightly later) appear in the right nave and apse. The frescoes in the central apse are 17th-century, above remains of others from the 15th century. Later, when side altars were removed to recover the frescoes, the main one was kept: it seems out of place, but its presence bears witness to the phases of history.
Via Nostra Signora delle Grazie, 18100 Imperia IM, Italia
