The sanctuary was commissioned in 1510 to commemorate the spot where a local peasant, Bartolomeo Broglia, allegedly saw the Virgin Mary appearing in an ash tree.
The wooden statue of the Madonna, only 16 centimeters tall, is believed by devotees to have miraculous properties.
The sanctuary is built in the Renaissance architectural style with distinct decorative features characteristic of 16th-century Italian religious buildings.
The walls of the sanctuary are lined with hundreds of ex-voto paintings and objects donated by pilgrims over centuries as thanks for received favors.
The convent currently serves as an active residence for the Friars Minor, maintaining a traditional religious community lifestyle.
It is a stop on the historical pilgrimage routes of the Verona province.
The Santuario della Madonna del Frassino is a 16th-century Franciscan sanctuary established after a reported apparition of the Virgin Mary in a fraxinus tree in 1510. The complex features a single-nave church housing a small wooden statuette of the Madonna, which is the primary object of veneration. The Renaissance architecture includes an ornate interior with significant paintings and frescoes dating from the 16th and 17th centuries. Adjoining the church are the convent buildings and two cloisters that serve the resident Franciscan friars. The sanctuary serves as a place of pilgrimage and holds a substantial collection of ex-voto offerings. It is situated in a rural setting surrounded by the morainic hills south of Lake Garda.
The central cloister providing a framed view of the sanctuary architecture and the surrounding garden.
Explore the inner cloisters to see the quiet, well-preserved Renaissance layout.
Look for the small statue of the Madonna positioned above the high altar.
Combine your visit with a walk in the surrounding morainic hills, which offer a different perspective of the landscape near Lake Garda.
Avoid arriving during scheduled liturgical services if you intend to walk around and view the art, as this disrupts worshipers.
Open daily, but access to specific areas may be restricted during religious services or community prayer times.
Modest dress is required: shoulders and knees must be covered. Maintain silence as it is an active place of worship.
