Founded in the 11th century along the road taken by pilgrims heading to the cave of the Archangel Michael, San Giovanni Rotondo, in Puglia, is now known throughout the world as the city where Padre Pio of Pietrelcina lived and worked, the venerated friar of miracles who became a saint in 2002.

The young Padre Pio arrived here in 1916, but the Capuchin friars’ convent had been here since 1540. In this “Asylum of peace where God is spoken of and nothing else is mentioned,” the holy Friar spent his entire life, until September 23, 1968, the year of his death.

The current sanctuary is actually a vast area comprising three structures:

• The convent where Padre Pio lived, with the adjoining ancient convent church. Here it is possible to visit Padre Pio’s cell and other places connected to him, particularly the choir of the old church where, on September 20, 1918, the young friar received the gift of the stigmata.

• The Sanctuary of Santa Maria delle Grazie, inaugurated in 1959 at Padre Pio’s request, but soon proving inadequate to accommodate the multitude of faithful drawn to this place by his reputation for holiness, so much so that Padre Pio was often forced to celebrate outdoors. Today, this sanctuary preserves the old Eucharistic altar where Saint Pio celebrated the Eucharist from 1959 until September 22, 1968.

• A second large sanctuary, known as “the church of Saint Pio,” designed by the famous architect Renzo Piano and inaugurated in 2004. With its enormous shell-like structure, this sanctuary covers approximately 6,000 square meters and is the second-largest church in Italy after Milan Cathedral. Funded almost entirely by pilgrims’ offerings, this extraordinary example of modern architecture can accommodate approximately 7,000 people. According to Padre Pio’s wishes, the church was to be a welcoming place for the faithful: the enormous outdoor churchyard, in fact, continues inside into the liturgical area with the same type of paving, specifically to indicate the continuity between outside and inside. This idea is also evident in the choice to separate the two areas only with a glass wall, decorated with a scene from the Apocalypse. In the underground part of the complex, a lower church has been built that houses the remains of the Saint.

To learn about the Sanctuary

SAN PIO OF PIETRELCINA SANCTUARY CONVENT

Viale Padre Pio
71013 San Giovanni Rotondo (FG)
Tel.: 088 241 75 00 
Fax: 088 241 75 55
email: info@santuariopadrepio.it

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