Santuario della Nostra Signora di Montelungo

The Sanctuary of Our Lady of Montelungo is located in the parish of the Ruino district and is part of the Diocese of Piacenza - Bobbio. It stands on the extended ridge of a hill. Among the Marian sanctuaries in Italy, Montelungo is certainly one of the oldest.

In the year 774, Emperor Charlemagne donated the place of Montelungo to the Monastery of San Colombano, founded in Bobbio in 614. This donation was later confirmed by other emperors in 865, 895, and 903, and until 930, documents confirm its continuous affiliation with the monastery. According to local tradition, the origin of this church dates back to a miraculous event where the Madonna healed a poor deaf-mute woman from Logagnolo. The young woman, healed, was then tasked with spreading the construction of a new sanctuary where the Madonna would perform many miracles.

Only the ancient fresco of the Madonna breastfeeding the child remains from the old church, which is still displayed on the main altar and venerated by the faithful. In 1929, as the church became dangerous and unstable, Bishop Pellegrino of Bobbio proposed the construction of a new church on a safer hill, not far from the original one. The works for the new church were completed in 1942, and the temple was consecrated. On the site of the old church, a small chapel was erected in memory of the miraculous events that took place there, built in 1963. The sanctuary is structured with three naves and has two side chapels. Inside, the main altar is dedicated to Our Lady of Montelungo.