The Madonna dell’Ambro Shrine is one of the oldest and most visited shrines in the Marche region.
It takes its name from the nearby Ambro stream and is also known as the “Little Lourdes of the Sibillini Mountains”.
Located at an altitude of 658 m, it is nestled between Mount Priora and Mount Castel Manardo, in Montefortino, in the province of Fermo. The natural scenery of rare beauty - we are in the heart of Sibillini National Park - offers the chance to visit enchanting places and allows the spirit and body to find peace and refreshment.
The history and apparition
The Shrine originated with the Virgin’s apparition to a girl named Santina, who had been deaf and mute since birth. In “return” for the prayers and offerings of flowers that the girl used to bring to an image of the Madonna placed in the hollow of a beech tree, the Holy Virgin gave her the gift of speech.
The Shrine
The Shrine, the portico, and the bell tower are 20th-century constructions, but the first records of the Shrine date back to 1037, when the local feudal lords, associated with the Benedictine Abbey of Sant’Anastasio, adorned it by donating some possessions to the friars. In 1602, the shrine, which had become too small and damaged by the passage of time, was rebuilt on a larger scale, and the following year, the architect Venturi of Urbino began construction of a new church, incorporating the former one so that the image of the Madonna, through a large window, would appear as the altarpiece of the high altar.
It is still that way today: the statue of Mary, a majestic figure carved in stone and seated on a throne, smiles from behind the grille above the altar. The old chapel is covered with hundreds of photos of children, families, women, men, soldiers… who thank the Virgin for a grace.
In this place, Mary makes herself present, welcomes, and listens!
Learn about the Shrine
Contacts and addresses
Via Del Santuario, 1
63858 Montefortino FM
Mass times
Public holidays: 9:30 – 11:00 – 12:15 – 17:00 – 18:00
Weekdays and days before public holidays: 11:00 – 17:00
How to get there the Shrine
