Shrine of Our Lady of Grace and St. Maria Goretti
The burial place of St. Maria Goretti.
St. Maria Goretti → Plan a trip hereThe Story
The Shrine of Our Lady of Grace and St. Maria Goretti stands near the sea in Nettuno, a coastal town south of Rome. An ancient sanctuary of Our Lady of Grace — whose venerated image, tradition holds, arrived by sea and has been honored in Nettuno for centuries — it became, in the twentieth century, the resting place of one of the Church's youngest canonized saints. Maria Goretti was born in 1890 to a poor farming family and grew up at Le Ferriere, in the marshlands near Nettuno. In July 1902, at the age of eleven, she was attacked by Alessandro Serenelli, a young man of the household where her family worked, who attempted to assault her. She resisted, and he stabbed her repeatedly. She died the following day in the hospital at Nettuno, having first forgiven her attacker: 'I forgive him, and I want him to be with me in heaven.' Her forgiveness bore remarkable fruit. Serenelli, unrepentant for years in prison, experienced a profound conversion after reportedly dreaming of Maria offering him lilies; he later sought pardon from her mother and ended his days in penance at a Capuchin friary. Maria was canonized by Pope Pius XII on June 24, 1950, before one of the largest crowds ever gathered for a canonization; her mother Assunta was present — the first mother known to witness her own child's canonization. Her remains rest in the crypt of the Nettuno sanctuary, which was raised to the rank of minor basilica. Pilgrims come throughout the year, and especially around her feast on July 6, to venerate the young martyr of purity and forgiveness whom the Church holds up to youth throughout the world.
Church Recognition
St. Maria Goretti was canonized by Pope Pius XII in 1950 as a martyr; the Nettuno sanctuary holding her remains, long dedicated to Our Lady of Grace, has been raised to the rank of minor basilica in the Diocese of Albano.
Catholic Teaching
The shrine bears witness to the Church's teaching on martyrdom as the supreme witness to the truth of the faith (CCC 2473) and on the virtue of chastity (CCC 2337–2345), joined to the Gospel's call to forgive as Christ forgave — a call Maria Goretti answered on her deathbed.
Plan Your Visit
Practical
Additional Information
Pilgrims venerate the remains of St. Maria Goretti in the crypt of the sanctuary, a short walk from Nettuno's old town and seafront, and also honor the ancient image of Our Lady of Grace; celebrations peak around the saint's feast on July 6 and the town's Marian festivities in May.
Go Deeper
The official sanctuary website is https://www.santuarionettuno.it. Read Pope Pius XII's words for her 1950 canonization and the Catechism on martyrdom as witness (CCC 2473); her birthplace shrine at Le Ferriere, nearby, may also be visited.
Location
Visit the official website ↗ See it on the interactive map →Pilgrim Photos
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In the Area
Other sacred sites within 40 miles.
- Basilica of San Sebastiano fuori le mura 29 mi
- Catacomb of Callixtus (Relics of St. Cornelius) 29 mi
- Basilica of St. Paul Outside the Walls 29 mi
- Basilica of St. Paul Outside the Walls 29 mi
- Basilica of Sts. Nereus and Achilleus 31 mi
- Basilica of St. John Lateran 31 mi
- The Scala Santa (Holy Stairs), Rome 31 mi
- Basilica of Sts. John and Paul (Tomb of St. Paul of the Cross) 31 mi