• THE ROCK

• Via Rupe, 40037 Sasso Marconi

• CALL

• http://www.comune.sassomarconi.bologna.it
• info@infosasso.it

• Glosina Rock, as it was called according to medieval documents, is rich in historical and symbolic significance. An aura of mystery and magic has always surrounded it and the locals have always attributed to it a dark and wicked spirit. One of the oldest superstitions claims that it is inhabited by the devil himself, giving rise to the nearby Gemese Stream's nickname, Devil’s Ditch. The Cliff was even the setting for one the stories narrated in the “Chronicles” of Salimbene, a 13th century itinerant Franciscan monk, in which the devil kills two novices, pushing one into the river and smashing the other’s head with a rock. But the real history of the Cliff begins in1283, when a church, founded by Giovanni da Panico and dedicated to the Virgin Mary, flanked by a pilgrims’ haven, was built into it. The terracotta image of the Madonna and Child became an attraction for many worshippers, with the faithful flocking to it in numbers equal to Saint Luke’s sanctuary in Bologna. In 1477, Nicolò Sanuti, the Count of Porretta who had his residence in the nearby village of Fontana (see Sanuti Palace), ordered the excavation of another, larger cave to house the church. In January 1787, however, an enormous chunk of rock broke off and fell from the ceiling, luckily without any serious consequences. To avoid further risks of this nature, the Sanctuary and the shrine of the Madonna were moved to the village of Sasso, housed first in a chapel and later in the church built in the main square between 1802 and 1831, which was then destroyed during a bombing raid in the Second World War, along with the 15th century shrine. The Cliff has also been used to extract sandstone for the Bolognese building industry. Vast holes in the rock are still visible today, along with chisel marks and some graffiti carved into the cliff face by the quarrymen. A fall in demand for sandstone, however, around the turn of the 19th century reduced the local population to poverty, forcing the poorest among them to make their homes in these caves. But on the night of the Feast of Saint John, June 24, 1892, an enormous slab of rock collapsed, killing 14 people and injuring another 10.