The sanctuary

On our first day here we spotted a church in what looked like a ridiculous spot half way up the steep hillside/ mountain from our little village on the lake.

We were intrigued, so today we (without Evan, still recuperating from his cold) decided to walk up to it. It’s at the top of some very steep cliffs, but there is a very well made and shady path, dotted by little shrines all the way up, which make for great spots for a breather after yet another steep zigzag.

The church turned out to be a sanctuary, built by enlarging a little chapel on the spot where a lost statue of the madonna and child miraculously reappeared in the mid 1700s. (some of our party were a little suspicious that the local priest might have been looking for some building assistance for his chapel).

The views were glorious; it’s hard to imagine a more beautiful place to be.