The Shrine of the Madonna del Divino Amore (Our Lady of Divine Love)

In the Agro Romano, a few kilometres from Rome, stood a 13th-century castle owned by the Orsini family. On one of the towers was a fresco of the Virgin Mary enthroned with Baby Jesus in her arms - datable to around the end of the 14th century - surmounted by a dove with outstretched wings. The portrait was mainly venerated by the shepherds of the area who would gather under it on cold winter evenings to pray the Rosary.

In the spring of 1740, a traveller, possibly a pilgrim on his way to St. Peter's, got lost in the countryside near the castle where he was surrounded by a pack of ferocious dogs. Seeking protection, he turned to the image of Our Lady and suddenly the dogs quieted down, as if obeying a higher order.

Learning of the incident, Cardinal Vicar Giovanni Antonio Guadagni decided to protect the fresco: he had it detached from the tower and temporarily transported to the small church of Santa Maria ad Magos in Falcognana. The detachment, carried out in 1742, caused irreparable damage to the image, the transfer of which to the small church in Falcognana caused an uproar between the Chapter of Saint John Lateran, under whose jurisdiction the place of worship fell, and the Conservatory of Santa Caterina della Rota ai Funari, the owner of the painting.

The Sacra Rota made a final ruling on8 March 1743: the portrait belonged to the Conservatory of Santa Caterina and the offerings of the pilgrims would be used to build a church on the site of the miracle.

Filippo Raguzzini, the architect commissioned by Pope Benedict XIV, started the work in 1744 and completed it in just under a year.

On 19 April, Easter Monday 1745, the blessed effigy was transferred to its new location. On this occasion, the pope granted a plenary indulgence to the participants in the celebration and to all those who would visit the image on one of the following seven days.

On 31 May of the Holy Year 1750, the church and the high altar of the shrine were solemnly dedicated to Divine Love and to Mary, the girl who became the Mother of the Saviour by being pervaded by the Holy Spirit, i.e. Divine Love.

The shrine was soon the centre of fervent popular piety and a pilgrimage destination, which made the presence of priests necessary during the busiest periods for those who wished to confess and receive communion. It was not until 1802 that the first vice-parish priest with a residence obligation was appointed.

With the proclamation of the first Italian government and the expropriation of church buildings and land, the Conservatory of Santa Caterina was assigned to a Board of Trustees. Soon, the property turned into an open-air warehouse and stable, frequented by unscrupulous street vendors with their stalls and shacks.

In June 1930, a sensational theft took place, of all the jewellery and gold accumulated over the centuries thanks to donations from devotees were stolen: the Vicariate of Rome then sent a rector who also became the Sanctuary's parish priest in 1932.

Don Umberto Terenzi, the first designated, established the Congregation of the Daughters of Our Lady of Divine Love on 25 March 1942. From 1962, the Shrine was entrusted to the Order of Oblates, still custodians of the place of worship.

In 1944, at the height of World War II, the sacred image was briefly transferred to the Basilica of St Ignatius of Loyola where the people invoked it for the salvation of the city; on 12 September of the same year, it returned to the Divine Love.

On 4 July 1999 , a New Shrine was consecrated, still today the destination of pilgrimages that take place from Easter Saturday to the end of October, departing from the Circus Maximus. From the ancient Roman building, you can reach the Shrine on foot, even barefoot. Near the church, some of the faithful go on their knees, to demonstrate their great devotion to Our Lady Saviour of the City.