On August 19, Pope Leo XIV made a quiet but meaningful pilgrimage to the Shrine of Our Lady of Grace at Mentorella, a Marian sanctuary nestled in the Diocese of Palestrina. According to Vatican News, the Holy Father “made a private visit to the Shrine of Our Lady of Grace at Mentorella—in the village of Guadangolo, part of Capranica Prenestina in the Diocese of Palestrina” (Vatican News).
After dedicating time to prayer within the sanctuary, Pope Leo met with the Polish Resurrectionist religious community entrusted with its care. Vatican News noted that the Pope “spent time with the Polish Resurrectionist religious who serve at the sanctuary before returning to the papal residence at Castel Gandolfo.”
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A Shrine Steeped in Pilgrim History
The shrine of Mentorella, perched atop a mountain about 65 km southeast of Rome, has been a place of prayer and conversion for centuries. Tradition holds that it was the site where St. Eustachius, a Roman general, embraced the Christian faith in the 2nd century. Some 200 years later, Emperor Constantine ordered a basilica to be built there, consecrated by Pope Sylvester I before the year 335.
Papal devotion has long marked this holy place. Pope John Paul II famously visited just nine days after his election, calling the sanctuary his first Marian pilgrimage as Pope. Pope Benedict XVI also made the journey in 2005. Even in earlier centuries, Pope Innocent XIII had such a deep connection to Mentorella that he requested his heart be buried there.
The Image of Mary
A treasured wooden statue of the Blessed Virgin, crafted in the mid-13th century, remains enshrined within the church. For pilgrims, this ancient image of Our Lady of Grace continues to inspire devotion and reflection on Mary’s maternal care.
Custodians of the Shrine
After centuries of monastic presence, the shrine came under the care of the Congregation of the Resurrection in 1857, when Pope Pius IX entrusted the sanctuary to the Polish community that continues to serve it today.
A Living Witness of Faith
Pope Leo XIV’s visit highlights the continuity of papal devotion to Our Lady of Grace, linking the faith of the early Church to today’s living tradition. It is a reminder that Marian shrines are not only historical landmarks, but also places of encounter with Christ through Mary—drawing the faithful into deeper prayer, conversion, and pilgrimage.
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