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| Sveta Gora Today |
Along the Soca (formerly Isonzo) River just north of the Slovenian/Italian border city of Gorizia, is a 2,240-ft. peak named Sveta Gora ("Monte Santo" in Italian, "Holy Peak" in English). It is the site of the basilica of the Assumption of the Virgin and an important seat for the Roman Catholic Franciscan Order. For five centuries it has been a sacred destination for Christian pilgrims. Among its most important religious elements is the image of the Madonna of Sveta Gora on the main altar, a work of the painter Palma il Vecchio from the 16th century. Founder of the Franciscan Order, St. Francis of Assisi, is also honored at the site, with an elegant, modern sculpture.
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The Madonna of Sveta Gora |
The mountain owes its name to the apparition of the Madonna to the shepherdess Orsola Ferligoi of Gargaro in 1539 . A church was built on the top of the mountain already in the 14th century, which was then destroyed by the Turkish invaders and rebuilt in 1544. In 1786, Emperor Joseph II ordered the demolition of the church, which was later rebuilt.
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| St. Francis of Assisi |
In 1917 the holy site of Sveta Gora, like Monte Cassino in World War II, were leveled out of military necessity during heavy fighting between Austrian and Italian armies. After the war, the basilica was rebuilt again, and the sacred artifacts—that could be removed and hidden—returned to the site. Sveta Gora was in similar jeopardy during the Second World War but was spared from bombing by [possibly] miraculous severe weather. In 1992, Pope John Paul II visited the site and blessed the famous painting of the Madonna.
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| Aerial View of the Complex Showing How Challenging It Would Be Taken in an Assault from Across the River |
The mountain, in a dominant position on the Gorizia plain, was an important strategic objective since the opening of the Isonzo front hostilities, during the First World War. The sanctuary was in fact damaged by the Italian bombardments of June 1915 . Its importance as a military objective, however, became crucial only after the sixth battle of the Isonzo, when the Italian troops conquered Gorizia and the stronghold of Mte. Sabotino, located on the opposite bank of the river. Sveta Gora, together with the peaks of Vodice, San Gabriele, and San Danieleit formed the new well-armed northern defense line created by the Austro-Hungarians with the aim of stopping the Italian advance towards the Carso and Ljubljana. During the following four offensives, the Italian Army was unable to make the summit of the mountain its own due to the very serious losses. Even in the tenth battle of the Isonzo, which saw the Italian conquest of Kuk and Vodice, Monte Santo remained firmly in Austro-Hungarian hands despite its temporary conquest by the infantry of the Campobasso brigade on 12 May 1917.
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| Top: Austrian Defender Atop Sveta Gora Bottom: Typical Italian Assault in the Soca (Isonzo) Sector |
On 22 August of the same year, during the eleventh battle of the Isonzo, the Italian troops finally managed to conquer Sveta Gora and the saddle of Dol below. Despite the successful outcome of the Italian offensive on the Bainsizza plateau, the strategic scope of success was very limited. After the disaster of Caporetto, which occurred only two months after the Italian conquest, Sveta Gora returned to Austrian hands until the end of the war.
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| 1917 Damage to the Basilica |
Fantastic article. My favorite theater of operations during WW1 is the alpine front (I’m an old climber myself). I was not familiar with this action and the destruction of the church, now I would love to visit, for the view and for the spiritual reward. Thank you!
ReplyDeleteJoe Unger