Just three kilometers from Roccasicura, nestled in an unspoiled landscape, is the striking Sanctuary of the Madonna di Vallisbona, probably built in the 13th century and renovated several times in the following centuries.
To reach it, one travels along a dirt road that leads toward the hamlet of Vandra di Forlì del Sannio. Behind the shrine springs the historic Fonte della Madonna di Vallisbona spring, a pilgrimage destination and source of ancient legends.
The first object of worship venerated was a painting depicting the Virgin and Child, surrounded by angels and saints, found – according to tradition – by a young shepherdess. Today, at the center of devotion is a contemporary Baroque statue, placed behind the high altar: the Virgin, wrapped in a wide dress, holds the Child, both crowned.
The present structure of the sanctuary, profoundly modified over time, retains traces of the original church, such as the niches and blind arches that once housed vendors on feast days. The church has a longitudinal hall plan with four side chapels, a raised chancel and a semi-dome apse. Of interest is the presence of a chancel on the counter-façade, supported by stone columns, although today it lacks an organ.
Inside, friezes, pilasters, moldings, and faux marble decorations embellish the walls, while natural light filters through splayed windows. The main facade is simple but elegant: a curved attic with a carved stone portal, topped by a window and a small bell gable. The lunette above the portal is carved with a half-length Madonna.
Today, the tradition of the procession is renewed every year: the statue of Our Lady is brought to the village on the first Sunday in September for the seven-day prayer service, and then solemnly brought back to the shrine.
Next to the apse is also the Hermit’s House, the former home of the spiritual guardian of this place of faith and silence.