Leaving the Sacra

We started our descent from the Sacra.  Now we just had to go back down the mountain.

Along the way, there is this little shrine to St. Michael:

Roadside shrines to saints used to exist all over Italy and France.  Some are still there, including this one.  I thought at first that the shrine had a lot of trash in it, but on closer inspection, those papers are holy cards and prayers!

It "only" took us 1 1/2 hours or so to get back down the mountain to the town of Sant' Ambroglio.

In the town, we stopped at the church, which was built in the 1700s.

It's a very small town, a village, really.  And they have this gem for their church!

Walking through the town, I noticed this little roadside shrine to Our Lady:

The Latin says "Our Lady of Sorrows, Pray for us."

 

More From the Sacra

It was truly incredible.  The skill of the ancient builders boggles the mind.  

It was originally built and maintained by the Benedictine monks.  Today, Rosminian Fathers still live there, offering Mass daily.  We weren't there for Mass (no way we could have made it there in time!), but we did hear them praying.  

 

Sacra di San Michele - The Church

 

Once inside the amazing abbey, we headed up a stone staircase and into the church.  It was beautiful and peaceful.  We could hear the fathers chanting their prayers from somewhere in the rooms below.  

There was one employee there.  After I'd prayed and then walked around a bit, he approached us and showed us a rock at the base of a column.  

"This is the top of the mountain," he explained.  They built the church directly on top of the summit, and the exposed rock is still visible in this spot.

Sacra di San Michele

Do you see the building way up there on top of the mountain?  That is the Sacra di San Michele, a one-thousand-year-old abbey dedicated to Saint Michael the Archangel just outside of Turin.  This view is from the train station, where we started our walk.  

First, we had to walk through the cute little town of Sant' Ambrogio di Torino.  

Then, we took the old cobblestone mule track up the mountain.

The stations of the cross line the way up the mountain.  After a very long time (about an hour and a half or so), we walked through another, smaller village.

After more climbing, we were finally on the last 15 minute trek of the pilgrimage.

We made it!  It took us nearly 2 1/2 hours to walk from the train station to the abbey, but it was so worth it.  I had to stop and rest several times, and although Nathaniel will complain about the walk now, he was completely supportive on our journey.  

The Sacra was built in the 980s.  It's hard to imagine how those monks built an abbey literally on the top of the mountain.  Pilgrims have been visiting the Sacra for over a thousand years.  

to be continued...