Set in an impervious area, among trees and rocks; in the background the jagged outline of the surrounding mountains, the shrine juts out against a backdrop that combines peace and prayer.
This mystical place originated during the period of struggles between Guelphs and Ghibellines, between 1350 and 1440.
To escape the violence, some local residents hid in a ‘corna busa,’ which means natural cavity in dialect.
One of them carries with him the wooden statue of Our Lady, which he forgets, however, in the lobby of the cave when, having escaped danger, he returns to the village.
The cult of the Madonna of the Cave, only later “Madonna of the Cornabusa” is from a later period, when a deaf-mute girl, who ended up there while grazing sheep, discovers the statue and prodigiously recovers her voice and hearing.
The venerated statuette stands eighty centimeters tall and was carved from 15th-century wood.
The mystical appeal of the shrine is reinforced by the light of candles reflecting on the cave from which water drips.
The surrounding landscape evokes a deep sense of recollection.
The Cornabusa Sanctuary is located in S.Omobono Terme and can be reached by car.
From the parking lot the path leads through the woods following the eight chapels dedicated to the Marian Mysteries and the story of the young girl.
When you reach the square of the cave, there is a small temple enclosed by grating that holds the statue.