In the forests of the Hill of the Dead, the Sanctuary of Somazzo or the Church of San Giuseppe has been a place of strange pilgrimages for centuries. According to legend, praying to three girls who are said to have been buried alive in the church brings rain during times of drought.
Near the Swiss-Italian border beyond Brusata, in Novazzano, where the lush greenery of Ticino meets the rustic charm of Lombardy, stands the church of San Giuseppe in Somazzo, also known as the Sanctuary of Somazzo or even the Sanctuary of the Dead. The church atop Dead Hill in the middle of the forest is a peaceful yet haunted sanctuary whose history is as mysterious as the mists that often gather around its spire.
The current religious building was created as a result of the expansion of an earlier chapel dedicated to San Cassiano, the existence of which is confirmed already in the 15th century, where the oldest mention comes from 1423. In the 17th-20th centuries, hermits settled around the sanctuary. During the bishop's visit in 1671, the building was called “Oratorium delle Anime Purganti” and indicated the consecration of souls in purgatory.
To the unassuming visitor, the Sanctuary of Somazzo may seem like just another picturesque country church, but local legend tells of a blood-curdling sacrifice and a miraculous legacy associated with its stones.
The haunting legend of three girls
According to oral histories, the church of San Giuseppe hides a tragic and disturbing secret. The tradition comes alive in times of drought.
Long ago, in a time of religious fervor and superstition, three teenage girls were walled up alive on the north side of the sanctuary at Uggiate, either because they resisted a lord who wanted to take advantage of them, or because they wanted to keep women faithful to their husbands. “To keep faith with my husband” it is written on the wall of the sanctuary.
Legend has it that a furnace worker from Riva San Vitale passing by heard their screams and helped them by giving them water with his hat through holes in the wall. As a thank you, they gave a prophecy: “When you are thirsty, come to us and we will quench your thirst.”
Miracles on the Mountain of the Dead
This phenomenon has persisted until up-to-date times. Farmers and devout villagers on both sides of the border make their way to the hilltop sanctuary at Somazzo during particularly arid seasons, clinging to hope and often walking away in delight when the skies open up shortly thereafter.
Instead of fading into oblivion, the legend grew. Over time, the locals began to believe that these girls, tortured in silence, had received a unique and powerful gift: the ability to bring rain. During a long drought, people began to climb the hill leading to San Giuseppe, praying to the girls' spirits for relief. “Nem a tö l'acqua a Ügiaa” – they say in Riva.
A particularly memorable edition of the Mendrisiotto procession took place in 1976. On this occasion, the faithful from Riva went to the sanctuary at the height of a long drought. Their initiative was followed by several days of hefty rains. It rained so demanding that “the lake swelled and firemen spent weeks emptying our basements.” like the river flooded.
As one of the participants in one of several processions said: “I don't believe it, but I can confirm it,” an elderly man reports, “of the four processions I took part in, it rained four times.”
A place of faith and mystery in the Sanctuary of Somazzo
The Church of San Giuseppe, modest in its architecture and serene in demeanor, has become a spiritual focal point for those who believe in the intertwined forces of nature, sacrifice and the divine. Although no historical sources confirm the story of the three girls walled up in the walls of the Sanctuary of Somazzo, the power of this story remains unchanged.
However, there are alleged relics of the three girls still kept in the shrine of the dead, dedicated to those in purgatory.
-
Church of San Giuseppe: a sacred place where it still rains
In the forests of the Hill of the Dead, the Sanctuary of Somazzo or the Church of San Giuseppe has been a place of strange pilgrimages for centuries. According to legend, praying to three girls who are said to have been buried alive in the church brings rain during times of drought.
-
The White Lady of Duino Castle: haunting under the cliffs near the castle ruins
Frozen for all eternity like a stone beneath the venerable Duino castle on the cliffs. It is said to be haunted by the White Lady, a former lady of the castle who was thrown off the cliffs by her jealous husband. Now he returns to the castle to care for the child he left behind.
-
The cursed forest and the Finnskogen poltergeist in Välgunaho
Bordering Norway and Sweden, the mysterious Finnskogen forest, with its deep-rooted trees, hides ghosts, curses and ghosts. Like a poltergeist, like a ghost on the Välgunaho farm that drove out its inhabitants and left it abandoned for over a hundred years.
-
Alukah: vampire of historic text and folklore
In Jewish mysticism, the vampiric Aluka of the historic text is still a subject of debate and fear. But where does the demonic spirit actually come from?
-
Haunted National Museum of Ireland: Ghosts of Collins Barracks
Now the former barracks have been turned into the National Museum of Ireland. If rumors are to be believed, the ghosts of war from Collins' former barracks still linger.
-
The ghosts of Løp Gård north of the Veil
Løp Gård is said to be an venerable farm for the wealthy and powerful in the northern part of Norway, where many of its former residents stay, even after their deaths.
-
Darkey Kelly: Green Lady of Liberty
Was she a witch or a serial killer with ties to the Hellfire Club as her legends portray her? What was the true story of Darkey Kelley who was said to have haunted Dublin as the Green Lady of Liberty.
-
The limping ghost of Fossesholm
After the tragedy that befell Birthe Svendsdatter, she threw herself from a window, which resulted in her limping and brain damage. Called Halte-Birthe because of her limp, she is said to haunt the Fossesholm estate to this day.
-
Aufhocker: Heavy vampiric ghost of Germany
Feeling like a sudden and imperceptible burden, the life force of cautious travelers was long subjected to the terror of the Aufhocker. The creature between the ghosts of the vampire, the werewolf and the goblin, in the legend of the empty road, has long been haunted by something hefty.
-
Davy Byrne's Pub: James Joyce's ghost still raises a glass
James Joyce's ghost is said to have appeared in the mirror of his favorite beer joint in Dublin, and is rumored to still be hanging out at Davy Byrne's pub.
-
The tragic ghost of a maid haunting a hotel in Visnes
A maid who once worked at the hotel allegedly took her own life at the venerable Visnes Hotel, deep in the Norwegian fjords. Now it is said that in the afterlife she resides in the venerable rooms where she once worked.
-
The Black Church: Where the Devil Waits in Dublin
There is a legend associated with the ominously named Black Church in Dublin, which states that if you follow a ritual, you will be able to summon the devil.
Legend and prophecy In the procession for water
A tiny pass only open twice a year (once to San Giuseppe)
Sanctuary of Somazzo – Wikipedia
Image Source: Pixabay.com
