ND des Neiges Church

Notre-Dame-des-Neiges is placed under the patronage of the Virgin Mary in commemoration of a miracle she performed: in Rome, on the night of August 4-5, 358, she caused snow to fall on Mount Esquilino after appearing in a dream to Pope Saint Liberius and a patrician named John, whom she asked to build a sanctuary. The Basilica of Santa Maria Maggiore was erected on the very spot where the snow covered the hill.
The parish church of St. Agnes was consecrated in 1271 by the bishop of Albenga. In the 14th century, the castle was gradually abandoned by the inhabitants, who established the village below. In 1575, the church dedicated to Notre-Dame des Neiges was rebuilt in the new village. Among the remarkable liturgical objects on display is a 16th-century gilded wooden tabernacle, donated by Ignace Léotardi, baron de Sainte-Agnès. Also on display is a 17th-century statue of Saint Agnes, as well as a number of anonymous paintings (dating from the 16th to 18th centuries), most likely by the Menton school of painting. Finally, the two chandeliers on display were donated by Sovereign Prince Rainier III and Princess Grace of Monaco on March 3, 1971.