The military shrine of Oslavia - an outing to a commemorative site

Art & Culture

25 May 2017

Art & Culture

The military shrine of Oslavia - an outing to a commemorative site

The Sacrario Militare di Oslavia (Go), which commemorates the fallen of the Great War, is one of the most striking of those I have visited, both for its position high above Gorizia and Nova Gorica, and for the particularly impressive architecture: three white stone towers, arranged in a triangular area with a large central tower. Inside the towers are the remains of 57,739 soldiers, most of them Italian but also 539 Austro-Hungarian soldiers.

To visit the different levels of the Sacrario, I used the underground stairs and tunnels. During the visit, I was particularly impressed by the great dark marble cross that stands in front of the main entrance, the underground crypt, where lie the corpses of the 13 soldiers decorated with the Gold Medal of Military Valour and the three large ossuaries In the middle of the side towers, which collectively contain the remains of 36,000 unknown soldiers.

In the outside area of ??the Sacrario, in addition to the grand entrance staircase, there is a characteristic bell, called the Campana Chiara, which chimes every day at sunset, calling all to prayer for the fallen. It is also possible to climb to the roof of the three side towers, thanks to short staircases, and each of these offers a different view, ranging from nearby Slovenia to the Collio goriziano.

For those interested in the Great War, I am convinced that the Oslavia Shrine is an excellent choice for a cultural and historical visit, but also to see Gorizia from a different location than usual and to live an exciting experience. For all these reasons, a visit is highly recommended.

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Andrea Tomasella

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A graduate in territorial sociology and development from the University of Trieste, contact person for the communication group of Punto Giovani in Gorizia. Journalist, town council member in Gorizia. I'm writing for passion and taking photographs for pleasure