The tiny Valadier Temple is the perfect place for those seeking privacy and tranquility. It was built in the cave of the Holy Refuge (Marche region of Italy), which was known as a place of religious worship already in the 10th century. Located in the heart of an ancient grotto in the middle of limestone cliffs, the temple looks like a real gem.
To get to the temple, you need to overcome a difficult climb, but what you see fully compensates for all the physical difficulties. Scientists believe that in this cave, the inhabitants of the nearby city of Jenga fled from the invasion of Hungarian tribes, and therefore endowed the place with intercessory power.
The octagonal temple was built in 1828 at the behest of Pope Leo XII. Once in the temple there was a marble statue of the Madonna and Child by the famous Italian sculptor Antonio Canova, but over time it was moved to one of the Jenga museums, and a copy was exhibited in its place.
During the construction of the temple in the 19th century, workers discovered the ancient remains of people - bones of children and adults, elements of furnaces, two bags of grains and several bronze and iron coins, which confirms the theory that the cave served as a kind of refuge.
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The architectural ensemble, in addition to the Valadier temple, includes a small hermitage and a chapel.
Behind the temple is a system of cave passages, which beckons wanderers with mysterious underground vaults.