The Shrine of Padre Pio in San Giovanni Rotondo, Italy, is one of the most visited Catholic shrines in the world. Set in the headland of the Gargano mountain, which plunges into the Adriatic Sea, it centres around the tomb of Saint Padre Pio of Pietrelcina, a Capuchin friar, priest and mystic known for his devotion to God.

St Pio of Pietrelcina, born as Francesco Forgione, was born in Pietrelcina on 25th May 1887. In 1903 he decided to don the habit of the Order of St Francis and took the name of Brother Pio and took his final vows in January 1907. Padre Pio first came to visit San Giovanni Rotondo on 28th July 1916, when he found a modest little 16th century friary with an adjoining chapel which had been dedicated to Our Lady of Grace. Padre Pio’s most famous spiritual gift is the stigmata which he received in 1918 whilst praying before a crucifix. He is said to have bled from the five wounds of Christ for the rest of his life. His Holiness John Paul II proclaimed Padre Pio Blessed and on the 16th June 2002 he was canonised a Saint.

The shrine centres around Padre Pio’s tomb, which is inside the Church of Grace. You can also see his cell, his confessional and the crucifix from which he received the stigmata.

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