St. Romedio Sanctuary

The Saint Romedio sanctuary is near the village San Zeno in the Val di Non and it is the most interesting example of medieval Christian art in the Trentino region.

This is a famous pilgrimage place which is built on a 70-metre high calcareous rock.
This architectonic building is surrounded by a wonderful natural landscape and it is composed of several churches and chapels directly on the rock. The whole structure is connected by a steep stairway with 131 steps. The oldest chapel of the building dates back to the 11th century and over the centuries other three little churches and other two chapels have been built, and also seven Passion’s aedicules.

This suggestive and spiritual location is dedicated to the hermit Romedio from Thaur. When the hermit died, his believers dug his tomb in the rock and this cult is still alive nowadays.
There are many legends about Saint Romedio but the most famous one concerns a bear. The old hermit Romedio was riding a horse to reach Trento and to meet the Bishop, but his horse was torn by a bear. Romedio tamed the bear and he rode it up to Trento…

On 15th January we celebrate the Saint Romedio’s day with a mass in the sanctuary and eating the typical dish of the pilgrim. Every year 200.000 pilgrims come to visit the sanctuary and two Franciscan monks take care of it.

The walk in the rocks from Sanzeno to the sanctuary is a must-see. Furthermore there lives an example of brown bear in a fenced area at the foot of the sanctuary.