In 1857, Pope Pius IX (1792–1878) entrusted the newly founded Congregation of the Resurrection of Our Lord Jesus Christ (commonly known as the Resurrectionists) the church and monastery of Our Lady of Grace in Mentorella. In this way, the Congregation of the Resurrectionists – which was Polish at the time – became the custodian of a place of worship whose history dates back to antiquity.

A brief history of the sanctuary in Mentorella
Mentorella lies 60 km east of Rome, in the Prenestine Mountains, at an altitude of 1,018 metres above sea level. Tradition links the local sanctuary with the site of the conversion of Placidus, a tribune and commander of the Roman army, who, at the turn of the 1st and 2nd centuries, experienced a revelation here and, together with his entire family – now as Eustace — converted to Christianity. For this reason, Emperor Constantine I the Great ordered a church dedicated to the Blessed Virgin Mary to be built here, which was consecrated by Pope Sylvester I (?–335). Two stone columns dating from the 4th century, which have survived to this day, may serve as a reminder of the first church

The rock grotto situated next to the church also has late-antique traditions. It is associated with St Benedict of Nursia, who stayed here for a time before settling in nearby Subiaco, where he founded the first Benedictine monastery. Mentorella was soon handed over to the Benedictines. Towards the end of the 9th century, they extended the church and built a monastery. They promoted the veneration of the Mother of God and presumably placed a wooden statue of the Madonna in the centre of the church, although we have no information on exactly when this took place. During the Benedictine period, Mentorella was the destination of numerous penitential pilgrimages. Among the famous pilgrims were St Francis of Assisi and his companion, Blessed Giles, as well as Blessed Margaret Colonna. The Romanesque structure of the church and some rare and valuable works of art have survived from this period. These include a Romanesque antependium (a decorated panel covering the base of the altar) depicting scenes of the conversion of St Eustace and the consecration of the church in Mentorella by Pope Sylvester I, signed by Guglielmo of Chieti. In addition, there is a richly carved Romanesque crucifix and a seven-branched candlestick from the 14th century.

We do not know the exact date on which the Benedictines left the hill. It is most likely that they looked after the sanctuary until the end of the 14th century. After that, its fame began to wane and the buildings fell into ruin.

The Jesuits’ reconstruction of the sanctuary at Mentorella
The poor state of the monastery is attested to by the account of the Bishop of Faenza, Annibale de Grassi (1537–1590), who, at the behest of Pope Gregory XIII (1502–1585), visited the sanctuary in 1581. Eighty years later, the Jesuit Athanasius Kircher (1602–1680), whilst gathering material for his book on Latium, reached the hill of Mentorella (also known as Vulturella or Vultuilla). From there, he often wrote to Michał Boym – a Polish Jesuit from Lviv – with whom he laid the foundations for modern Sinology.

Kircher – as a devotee of Mary – decided to rebuild the sanctuary and instructed that his heart be buried there. The funds he raised came, amongst others, from Leopold I of Habsburg, Holy Roman Emperor, and Johann Friedrich Waldstein, Archbishop of Prague. These funds not only enabled the renovation of the sanctuary but also allowed for new endowments. The Chapel of St Sylvester within the sanctuary was then adorned with frescoes by A. Rosati of Vicovaro. These depicted scenes from early Christian history, including the baptism of Emperor Constantine and the consecration of the church in Mentorella. At that time, Johann Paul Schor (1615–1674), known in Italy as Giovanni Paolo Tedesco, also decorated the Chapel of St Eustace with frescoes. The so-called Holy Stairs (Scala Sancta) were also constructed.

In 1664, Pope Alexander VII (1599–1667) granted indulgences to the church, and from then on Mentorella became a destination for numerous pilgrimages, which took place here every autumn for the feast of St Michael the Archangel. Athanasius Kircher allocated 1,400 scudi annually to cover the travel and living expenses of the confessors accompanying the pilgrims. Jesuit priests carried out this mission until 1772, that is, until the suppression of the order. A memento of the period when the Jesuits looked after the sanctuary, with the support of the Habsburgs, is the robe on the statue of Our Lady of Mentorelska, donated – probably in the 1760s – by Empress Maria Theresa. Towards the end of the 19th century, the dress was removed from the statue and incorporated into a chasuble which is still kept in the monastery today.

The Resurrectionist Fathers in Mentorella
Over the following century, the sanctuary – deprived of constant care – gradually fell into ruin. For this reason, in 1857, Pope Pius IX entrusted the abandoned monastery and the Church of Our Lady of Grace in Mentorella to the Congregation of the Resurrection. The Resurrectionist Fathers began their work by carrying out a thorough renovation of the buildings. This was made possible largely thanks to donations from the Polish diaspora, including Countess Julia Pusłowska, née Drucka-Lubecka (1811–1888), and Father Jan Koźmian (1814–1877). The Resurrectionists rebuilt the church. They added a tower with windows above the high altar and decorated the walls with frescoes, including one depicting St Casimir. They also redesigned the high altar, placing a statue of Our Lady of Grace within it. The designs were drawn up and the specifications issued by Fr Leon Zbyszewski and the seminarian Eustachy Skrochowski, who were based in Mentorella during the last quarter of the 19th century.

Polish traces on Mentorella Hill
From the very beginning of the Resurrectionists’ work in Mentorella, Polish pilgrims and artists also visited the site, leaving behind interesting and valuable Polish artefacts. Among these is the painting ‘Immaculata’ – one of only two surviving works by Edward Brzozowski (1815–1847), a Polish pupil of Johann Friedrich Overbeck (1789–1869) – as well as a statue of St Paul by Tomasz Oskar Sosnowski (1810–1886). In turn, at the beginning of the 20th century, the sanctuary was visited by the Polish painter Bronisława Rychter-Jankowska (1868–1953), who in 1905 published the book *Poza Rzymem* (*Beyond Rome*). It was a brief account of her visit to Mentorella, accompanied, amongst other things, by her own illustrations of the place.

Cardinal Karol Wojtyła also made numerous pilgrimages to Mentorella. He made his first pilgrimage there as the newly elected successor to St Peter, Pope John Paul II. Souvenirs of these visits include gifts such as a chalice. In the second half of the 20th century, a small belfry was erected above the sanctuary, in which bells cast by a bell foundry in Poznań were hung.