Lo
Scoglio della preghiera (The Rock of prayer)
The Rock rises up against the skyline; it is one of the
greatest attractions for the tourists and the pilgrims. Often the Saint went
there to find isolation from the world. In ancient times it was called Scoglio
dello Schioppo (The Rock of the Gun). The old path that leads to the top has
been extended and a stairway has been created thus making it easier to reach;
paintings depicting the Stations of the Cross have been attached along the way.
The massif has an altitude of 827 M. and rises 120 M. above the village. A Church
was built on the summit in 1929 and was later renovated and amplified in 1941.
It was damaged by an earthquake in 1979, and rebuilt in 1981 ACCORDING TO THE
DESIGN of the architect Riccardo Leoni from Rome. The Church preserves an oblong
stone on which, according to tradition, St. Rita is said to have left the imprint
of her knees and elbows and that it was from that precise spot that she was
taken by the Patron Saints and taken to Cascia to the monastery of St. Maria
Maddalena. From the top of the Rock one can view in a single glance, the village
of Roccaporena, the Grotta d'Oro (The Golden cave) and it overlooks the beautiful
ravine of the valleys and the mountains of Cascia that roll away into the distance,
vanishing into the deep blue horizon.