Sanctuary of Fonte Colombo

"The Mount of the Rule, Monte Ranierio (the current Fonte Colombo), was filled by the Lord with divine sweetness and consecrated to his presence, in the midst of the joyful crowd of Blessed. It has become a new Sinai, where the Law was given. Another Mount Carmel, where the soul of Francis conversed with the Lord. Fonte Colombo is the mountain that we have to climb barefoot, because it is a really holy place". This is how the Anonymous Reatino described the sanctuary of Fonte Colombo, better known as the Franciscan Sinai. Situated in the most hidden part of a century-old holm oak wood, it was the place where the Saint of Assisi drew up the definitive Rule of his Order inside the cave (the Sacred Cave). The convent complex includes the Oratory of St. Michael (built above the Sacred Cave), the Romitorio of St. Francis and the imposing and majestic Chiesa Grande, which immediately strikes the eye for the powerful charm of its structure. The Cloister, also known as "Conventino" is worth a visit for the simple, sober and particularly evocative atmosphere that characterizes the whole location.