The Gran Sasso massif is a kind of Olympus transplanted to the land of Abruzzo. With the summit of Corno Grande (2,912 m a.s.l.) dominating the Campo Imperatore plateau, it is the highest point of the Apennines. Its proximity to Rome makes these places a magnet for mountain lovers, especially Romans. They could not fail to attract John Paul II who, during his long pontificate, often visited these enchanting places privately, accompanied by a few people and Vatican gendarmes expert in the territory. It is no wonder that Pope Wojtyła wanted to personally bless, following a restoration promoted by the Alpini (mountain infantry corps), the small church of Gran Sasso dedicated to the “Madonna della Neve” (Our Lady of the Snows). It was a Sunday, July 20, 1993, exactly thirty-three years ago, when the “mountaineer” Pope, coming from Foligno, descended by helicopter near that small temple, prayed, blessed the chapel, and left a chalice as a gift. Before the Angelus prayer, at noon, in the evocative and majestic setting of the Gran Sasso, he delivered a moving speech before the numerous attendees, mostly Alpini.

These were the words spoken by John Paul II: “This is a special meeting today, in which we are given the opportunity to recite the Angelus in the evocative setting of the Gran Sasso, next to this Chapel that I have just blessed, simple and graceful, embedded as it is in the majestic landscape, well known and dear to me. Here the silence of the mountain and the whiteness of the snows speak to us of God, and point out to us the path of contemplation, not only as a primary path to experience the Mystery, but also as a condition to humanize our life and our reciprocal relationships.

Today, there is a great need to relax the sometimes obsessive rhythms of our days. Contact with nature, with its beauty and its peace, refreshes and restores us. But while the gaze wanders over the wonders of the cosmos, it is necessary to enter into ourselves, into the depths of the heart, into that center of our person where we are face to face with our conscience. There God speaks to us, and the dialogue with Him restores meaning to our life.

For this reason, dearest Alpini, whom I see in large numbers at this appointment, I greatly appreciated your initiative to restore this Chapel, which intends to be, for all those who arrive here or rest while climbing the mountain, a reminder of the supernatural, a sign of the presence of God, an invitation to prayer. So it is for you, dear friends, who have gathered here, taking care to ensure the oxygenating breath of prayer for your festive meeting. This, moreover, blends well with your history and your culture, I would dare to say, with your ‘spirituality’. You are, in fact, as if ‘shaped’ by the mountain, by its beauties and its harshness, by its mysteries and its charm. The mountain reveals its secrets only to those who have the courage to challenge it. It asks for sacrifice and training. It forces one to leave the safety of the valleys, but offers to those who have the courage to ascend the stupendous spectacles of the peaks. It is, therefore, a reality strongly evocative of the path of the spirit, called to rise from the earth to the sky, until the encounter with God.”

When speaking of the historic visit of John Paul II, it is worth remembering a bit of history about these places.

The Gran Sasso massif has always attracted mountain lovers. Its summit, the Corno Grande, was reached for the first time in 1573 by one Francesco De Marchi, a military engineer in the service of Margaret of Austria, but it became a popular excursion destination at the end of the 19th century: the visit of King Victor Emmanuel III, who came to Assergi to make an ascent of the Gran Sasso on June 15, 1909, remains in history.

Tourism in the Gran Sasso increased considerably with the construction of the cable car, which took place between 1933-1934. It was a great work that connected the town of Fonte Cerreto with Campo Imperatore. On the esplanade, next to the upper cable car station, a large hotel was built between 1934 and 1935. But there was also felt the need to erect a small church for the spiritual needs of the already numerous frequenters of the mountain. The project was entrusted by the Municipality of L’Aquila to two young engineers: Emilio Tomassi from L’Aquila and Enrico Lenti from Rome. The laying of the first stone took place on July 1, 1935, with the blessing of the Archbishop of L’Aquila, Msgr. Gaudenzio Manuelli.

The small church, dedicated to the “Madonna della Neve”, was inaugurated on September 20, 1936, by Cardinal Federico Tedeschini, former Apostolic Nuncio to Spain. But it should be emphasized that the church was born with the blessing of Pope Pius XI, who was a passionate mountaineer in his youth.

The small temple, designed according to the rationalist style of the 30s and built next to the historic hotel of Campo Imperatore (the old Albergo Amedeo di Savoia Duca d’Aosta), was endowed with all the necessary ornaments and sacred objects by the archbishop, who even donated a gilded silver chalice with a gold cup.

The church was equipped with a small bell tower and even had a sacristy where a priest could spend the night. Outside, the white stone facade presents a “cubist architecture”, while the portal is topped by an oculus.

Unfortunately, after the war, the Gran Sasso temple fell into a state of abandonment. But thanks to the intervention of the Alpini of the Abruzzo Section of the National Alpine Association, it was restored in 1992, as recalled by a plaque placed to the right of the entrance. Inside the church, simple but evocative, an original painting representing the Virgin and the saints of the tradition of L’Aquila was placed on the left wall. On the walls, there are photos of the historic visit of John Paul II, while a small bust of the saintly Pontiff has been placed above the altar.

Not far from the “Madonna della Neve” church is an astronomical Observatory which was inaugurated on October 3, 1965. On that occasion, the famous astrophysicist Prof. Massimo Cimino, then director of the Monte Mario Observatory, on which the Gran Sasso one depended, said the significant phrase: “We need a good blessing because, without God’s help, we can do nothing.”

The article in Polish was published in the weekly magazine “Niedziela”: https://www.niedziela.pl/artykul/126046