Overview
The panorama around the Mount Lussari sanctuary takes your breath away. The small church, built in around 1360 to house a statuette of the Madonna, stands atop a 1776-metre-high mountain and overlooks the majestic Julian Alps: a terrace from which one can admire the rock faces of the Jôf di Montasio, the Jôf Fuart and the Mangart, much of which rise above an altitude of 2600 metres. It is difficult to say where religious faith ends and where the natural sacredness of the mountain begins. But there is also another element with a strong emotional impact, and that is the sacredness of the war memories and of the lives that the First World War shattered, over a century ago, on these disputed mountains: we are very close to a double border, with Austria and Slovenia. The sanctuary itself was destroyed by cannon fire and had to be rebuilt in 1924.
Today, Mount Lussari is a symbol of peace and of the newfound European harmony between Slavic, German and Italian-speaking peoples. A place of encounter and dialogue between different cultures, it is visited by pilgrims travelling along the Romea Strata, which descends towards Rome from north-eastern Europe, and by those following the Celestial Way, an itinerary connecting various places of worship in Slovenia, Italy and Austria. The desire for justice and peace among peoples is also behind the interior decoration of the sanctuary, the work of Catholic painter Tone Kralj. A Slovenian with an Italian background, Kralj worked here from the 1930s until 1960.
Although the most devout climb on foot along the Pilgrim's Trail, tackling a change in altitude of over 900 metres, nothing stops you from reaching the sanctuary in comfort and making the most of the modern cable car that sets off from Camporosso in Tarvisio. After all, there is winter skiing in these parts: the key attraction is the Prampero piste, for experienced skiers.
