Perched majestically atop Mount Fusco stands the Sanctuary of Madonna della Civita. The earliest records of this structure date back to 1147 and refer to a donation made by a notary from Itri and his wife to the abbot of the monastery, Riccardo, for the restoration of the small church then entrusted to Brother Bartolomeo. It was not until 1491 that the Sanctuary took on its current configuration. The citizens of Itri requested a larger church from the Bishop of Gaeta, and their wish was granted. The new church was consecrated by Monsignor Francesco Patrizi, who dedicated it to the Immaculate Conception, inspired by the Council of Basel, which had encouraged Marian devotion.
The creation of the Sanctuary, however, is intertwined with popular tradition. According to the story, during Emperor Leo the Isaurian’s iconoclastic persecution in the 8th century, two Basilian monks were caught by soldiers carrying a wooden painting of the Madonna. Locked in a chest along with the painting, they were cast into the sea. After 54 days adrift, the floating chest reached Messina and subsequently Gaeta. Here, the painting was displayed for veneration but later disappeared, only to be found on Mount Civita near Itri by a deaf-mute shepherd searching for a lost animal. Upon seeing the painting, the shepherd miraculously regained his hearing and speech, proclaiming the wondrous event. The painting was then entrusted to the Benedictine monks at the Sanctuary.
The church consists of three naves: the central nave, the largest, houses the main altar and the painting of Madonna della Civita, safeguarded by a glass pane. The altar, crafted by master Filippo Pecorella, features Neapolitan-style marble inlays and is surrounded by an exquisitely decorated balustrade. The ceiling is adorned with decorations depicting significant events in the Sanctuary’s history, created in 1919 by San Cozzolino of Naples and later retouched by Professor A. Rollo of Bari. At the end of the lateral naves are two altars: one dedicated to Saint Joachim (on the left) and the other to Saint Anne (on the right).
Inside the church, visitors can admire an 18th-century wooden choir and a pipe organ. A room at the end of the left nave holds numerous relics, precious items, and sacred vestments donated by the faithful, including those of Pope Pius IX. Among the notable artworks are the Natività cloths inspired by the Neapolitan school, a Madonna with Saint Francis of Paola, the Assumption, and a replica of Madonna della Civita painted on wood by Sebastiano Conca.
