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The Sanctuary of Madonna del Tufo (Our Lady of the Sandstone) can be found on the slopes of Mount Cavo, the 'Mons Albanus' that in Roman times was the site of the temple dedicated to Jupiter of Latium.
The origins of the sanctuary go back to 1490, according to tradition. This is when a chunk of rock, weighing 150 tons, rolled down Mount Cavo and was about to flatten a traveller. However, his prayer to the Virgin Mary was answered, the rock stopped that moment and his life was saved. The man gave thanks by building a small church, where the rock was placed and painted with an image of the Virgin by the painter Antoniazzo Romano.
While the exact date of the building is not certain, it is probable that it took place in the early 1500s.
Restoration work was commissioned in 1780 and 1792 by Andrea Doria and the church was also made bigger, a project that came to an end in 1854 with the construction of the peperino facade. After being assigned to the Order of the Holy Trinity it was completely rebuilt in 1931 to a design produced by the architect Don Salvatore Spadaro.
There are three chapels on both sides of the nave and a polygonal apse.

Galleria fotografica