The hermitage of the Beata Vergine del Soccorso is located 2 km from Minucciano, on a hill that was once an obligatory place of passage for those who, coming down from the Garfagnana, wanted to reach Pieve San Lorenzo and Lunigiana.

Originally it was a hospital for welcoming pilgrims and travellers. In 1555 the Bishop of Luni established the brotherhood dedicated to the Blessed Virgin of Help with the aim of providing for the maintenance of the cult in agreement with the parish priest of Minucciano. As time passed, the custody of the oratory passed to the hermits, still present, the first of whom we have news of was a certain Romei from the parish of Gorfigliano, appointed on 13 July 1659 with subsequent bishop approval.

Today’s church, which has a Latin cross plan, a single nave and two side chapels added in the 18th century to the previous hermitage built between the 1400s and 1500s at the end of the 15th century, includes an apse with presbytery and main altar.
There are four cells in the hermitage where the hermits live and, not far away, there is a guesthouse for guests on spiritual retreat.

Inside the park surrounding the sanctuary there is an archaeological site in which there are copies of some stele statues made by the Apuan Ligurians found during the construction of a car park in the 1960s. The originals are preserved together with many others found in Lunigiana in Pontremoli, in the museum dedicated to them.

The stele statues depict male and female characters in a stylized manner accompanied by some characterizing elements of their armament or jewels and constitute an important testimony of prehistoric and protohistoric civilizations that affected the Lunigiana area over a long period of time, starting from the 3rd millennium BC. and until the dawn of the historical era, around the 6th century. B.C.

Sanctuary of the Stele Statues: Tel: 0583 610084