temple of Monte Grisa

Trieste, Italy

Open to visitors

The interior is normally open, possibly ticketed.

Strollie cannot guarantee access — always check before you travel.

Opening hours: Mo-Su 08:00-19:00
Phone: +39 040 225290;+39 040 2529029

From OpenStreetMap — confirm before travelling

Find out more

Perched at 300 metres on the edge of the Karst Plateau above Trieste, the Temple of Monte Grisa is a striking brutalist church and national shrine dedicated to Mary Mother and Queen. Built between 1963 and 1965, it was conceived by Bishop Antonio Santin following his 1945 vow to erect a church if Trieste survived Nazi occupation and liberation fighting intact. Designed by Professor Antonio Guacci based on Santin's sketches, the temple features a distinctive triangular structure intended to evoke the letter M as a Marian symbol, embodying Santin's vision of peace and unity. Pope John XXIII granted permission for the pilgrimage church in 1959, and Santin inaugurated it on 22 May 1966. The concrete structure underwent restoration in 2010 to address alkali-silica deterioration, and the site received a papal visit from John Paul II in 1992.

Movement

brutalist architecture

Built: 1963
Type: church building, national shrine, parish church
Heritage: Italian national heritage
Place: Trieste, Italy

This building on

Architecturally similar

Location

45.69310, 13.74920