The Sanctuary of Castelmonte is very ancient: the oldest of the Veneto and one of the first of all the Christianity. The origins go back approximately to 1500 years ago. An old tradition place it back to the V century, immediately after the Efeso's Concilium in 431, when the Divine Maternity of Maria become official. Until yesterday this theory was without foundation and based only on tradition but in 1962, while digging in order to built the inferior church under the Sanctuary, two pavements of "cocciopesto" have been discovered, dated at least at the VI century: clear proof that until then on top of Castelmonte there was "something". But what was that "something" at that height and eight kilometers far from Cividale? A roman garrison, a place of sight and defense, in the period of the invasions, that begun in the V century: the gothic invasion of Alarico in the 402, that one of the Huns with Attila in the 452, then the Longobards came in the 568 with Alboino for ending with the Slavic incursions and infiltrations from the VII to the IX century. At half way between Cividale and the Sanctuary, rises the top of the Guardia Monte, whose name recalls a place of sight and defense over the valleys of Natisone. It was in those years of terror that Castelmonte become a defensive outpost of the city of Cividale and of the Friuli; and the guard soldiers naturally joined to the eve in crews the with prayers of the Vergine. Since then Cividale and the Friuli began to see in Castelmonte a safe place proteced by the Vergin. It was at that time that the Madonna of Castelmonte revealed Herself, opposite the tops of the Alps Giulie, which shield and comfort to the orient border of the Friuli and Italy land. Already in the Longobardi and the Franchi times, that is from the 568 of the IX century, people used to come and pray in Castelmonte, that the reason why near the Sanctuary there was a " Malbergium " - now called Moldiaria -, that is a place of solemn popular conventions for the administration of the justice. That is why the Madonna of Castelmonte is called " the Ancient Madonna "; and why the Slavs arriving here, called Castelmonte " Staragora ", that means " Ancient Mount ", exactly because they already found it inhabited from remote times. But who was living there? It was not a place for private rooms, in solitudine and over a barren cliff. Who inhabited here, who reigned here, who called the crowds up here, it could only be the Madonna.

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