Set in the wonderful scenery of the Gorge of Frasassi, not far from the wellknown Frasassi Caves, walking up a steep path you can reach the elegant little temple of Frasassi.

In 1828 it was commissioned by the native pope Leo XII (Annibale della Genga) to the Italian architect Giuseppe Valadier

It’s in Neoclassical style, with a octagonal plan and a copper dome. The new temple was built using white travertine blocks extracted from a stone quarry above the cave. On the altar there is a venerated statue of the Virgin with the Infant Jesus. It’s a copy of the original statue by the school of Antonio Canova which is housed in the Museum of Genga.

When construction works were carried out to build the church, earth ovens , two wells of wheat, some coins and many human bones were discovered. This means that this site was used by people searching for a shelter during the raids of Barbarians as it was hard to get to it.