Santuario di Nostra Signora della Salute, Cinque Terre

Religious Building in Manarola

The Santuario di Nostra Signora della Salute or Sanctuary of Our Lady of Health is a Catholic place of worship located in the hamlet of Volastra within the municipality of Riomaggiore, in the province of La Spezia. This sanctuary is associated with the parish church of San Lorenzo di Manarola and serves as the seat of the homonymous parish within the Riviera vicariate of the diocese of La Spezia-Sarzana-Brugnato.

The sanctuary is part of the complex known as the “Cinque Terre sanctuaries,” alongside the Marian religious buildings of Our Lady of Montenero in Riomaggiore, Our Lady of Grace and Our Lady of Reggio in Vernazza, and Our Lady of Soviore in Monterosso al Mare. Constructed in the 12th century in the upper part of the town, the sanctuary showcases a Romanesque style with subsequent Gothic elements. The simple gabled façade, made of local stone ashlars, features a decorative crowning of small arches. The sandstone portal, with an ogival arch, is topped by a Gothic mullioned window. Narrow lancet windows adorn the side walls.

Inside, the sanctuary consists of a single rectangular nave with a barrel vault. A narrow Gothic arched apse houses a Baroque altar. The sanctuary is home to a venerated image of the Madonna, which was crowned in 1891.

Originally, a 15th-century triptych depicting San Lorenzo between Saints Anthony the Abbot and Bernardino was displayed in the sanctuary of Volastra. This artwork, attributed to the Master of the Cinque Terre, is now preserved in the parish church of Manarola.

The Santuario di Nostra Signora della Salute, Cinque Terre appears in our Complete Guide to Visiting Manarola!

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