Villa Favolosa Bed & Breakfast
Via Roapiana, 31
12080 Montaldo di Mondovì (CN)
Piedmont, Italy

info@villafavolosa.com

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Santuario Regina Montis Regalis

The story of the Santuario begins in 1590 when a local hunter accidentally shot a small roadside shrine containing a fresco of the Madonna and Child. In the years that followed, word of the shrine spread and pilgrams seeking to have their prayers answered arrived in great numbers.

The Duke of Savoia, Carlo Emanuele I, heard of the popularity of the shrine from his wife, Caterina of Spain, and in 1596 comissioned his court architect, Ascanio Vittozzi, to construct a road from Mondovì to Vicoforte to accommodate the pilgrims. He also instructed Vittozzi to construct a mausoleum for the royal family near the site of the shrine. Ultimately, the project evolved to creating a majestic sanctuary surrounding the shrine. It was another 135 years before the Santuario was completed by a local architect from Mondovì, Francesco Gallo, who designed its great eliptical dome, the largest of its kind in the world.

In accordance with his wishes, Carlo Emanuele I di Savoia is interred at the Santuario. The hunter's firearm from 1590 has been preserved and is on display in the church museum.