Giuseppe Valadier was a 19th century architect who was given the task of designing a church for his hometown by Pope Leo XII in 1828. It would rise in a location truly out of the ordinary: inside one of the most beloved caverns of the population. During looting and invasions the inhabitants hid in this cave looking for safety and tranquility. The intention was to create a refuge for Christians who were seeking forgiveness. It is no coincidence that the temple was nicknamed the "refuge of sinners".
The temple has an octagonal plan and stands between the walls of the cave creating a magical play of light and shadow. The dome made of lead slabs almost "touches" the cavern, grafting itself perfectly into it. The Valadier Temple is made of travertine, extracted from a nearby quarry. Next to the temple is the church of Santa Maria infra Saxa, the only remaining part of an ancient cloistered monastery of Benedictine nuns built in the eleventh century.
