Processions to Our Lady of the Star

A Hermitage Hidden in the Rock

The Hermitage of Our Lady of the Star is a rock sanctuary embedded in the rocky wall of the Noce Valley, near the hamlet of Roccatamburo in the municipality of Poggiodomo, province of Perugia. Its origins date back to 1308, when a community of Augustinian friars settled there with cells carved into the rock, a refectory, and a small church. After centuries of abandonment, in 1833 two shepherds discovered hidden frescoes, including the Marian image with the star-studded robe that gave the place its name: "Our Lady of the Star".

The May Processions

Marian devotion has remained alive in the communities of the Valnerina. Every year, in the month of May, numerous processions depart from the nearby villages and climb the steep path towards the hermitage, following a consolidated calendar:

• First Sunday of May — reserved for Roccatamburo, which officially opens the celebrations;
• Second Sunday — dedicated to Poggiodomo;
• Third Sunday — shared between Mucciafora and the municipality of Cerreto di Spoleto.

Rites and Popular Devotion

The devotional tradition is rich in ancient gestures: pilgrims used to dip a cloth in the oil of the lamp lit in front of the image, oil then used to anoint the sick. On the walls of the sanctuary, numerous heart-shaped ex-votos bear witness to graces received. The pilgrimage, arduous and evocative, offers a view of the Tissino waterfall downstream from the hermitage, in a natural setting of great beauty in the heart of the Umbrian Apennines.