Our Lady of Tre Fontane (1947)
The story in one line
Bruno Cornacchiola saw the Virgin Mary at Tre Fontane in Rome in 1947.
The basic story
On April 12, 1947, Bruno Cornacchiola and his children said they saw the Virgin Mary at Tre Fontane in Rome under the title 'Virgin of Revelation.' The Diocese of Rome now treats the site as a diocesan sanctuary, while also stating in its 2025 decree that the phenomenon remains under renewed study and discernment.
Reported message
Historical setting
Tre Fontane belongs to wartime and postwar Rome, where Bruno Cornacchiola's reported 1947 vision joined an older martyr site to a new Marian devotion.
Reported event date
April 12, 1947
The Diocese of Rome and the sanctuary history both date Bruno Cornacchiola’s reported vision to April 12, 1947.
Reported witnesses
Bruno and his 3 children
The standard Tre Fontane narrative preserved by the diocese says Bruno Cornacchiola was with his three children at the grotto.
Sanctuary decree
April 12, 2025
The Diocese of Rome formally erected the site as a diocesan sanctuary in 2025.
Current diocesan note
Origin still under study
The 2025 decree says the origin of the phenomenon and its later developments remain under renewed ecclesiastical study and discernment.
Primary-source file
Section titled “Primary-source file”Official diocesan summary of the 1947 event, Bruno Cornacchiola’s story, and the current liturgical commemoration.
diocesidiroma.it Diocesan decree Decree Erecting the Sanctuary of the Virgin of Revelation (2025)Official diocesan decree erecting the sanctuary while stating that the historical origin and later developments remain under renewed study.
diocesidiroma.it Official sanctuary Santuario della Vergine della RivelazioneOfficial sanctuary homepage covering the current prayer life, pilgrimage schedule, and shrine identity.
grottadellarivelazione.it Sanctuary history Tre Fontane: Storia del SantuarioOfficial sanctuary history of the grotto, statue, and long-running devotional development at the site.
grottadellarivelazione.itThe story
Section titled “The story”According to the Diocese of Rome, on April 12, 1947, Bruno Cornacchiola and his three children said they saw the Virgin Mary at Tre Fontane, near the site traditionally associated with the martyrdom of St. Paul.[1] [4]
The diocesan article summarizing the event says that the Lady identified herself with the title:
- “Virgin of Revelation”[1]
and addressed Bruno, a former anti-Catholic Protestant sympathizer, with a call to return to Catholic practice.[1]
What the reported message was
Section titled “What the reported message was”The Tre Fontane record is remembered less for a long sequence of published secrets and more for a conversion-centered message addressed to Bruno Cornacchiola.[1] [4]
In the diocesan and sanctuary summaries, the Virgin of Revelation confronts Bruno’s hostility to the Catholic Church and calls him back to prayer and Catholic life.[1] That is why Tre Fontane is usually told as the story of one man’s religious reversal rather than as an apparition with a large, later message archive.
Publicly documented chronology
Section titled “Publicly documented chronology”The sanctuary history and the 2025 Roman decree preserve a dated public record for the site.[2] [4]
| Date | Public record |
|---|---|
| April 12, 1947 | Bruno Cornacchiola and his children report seeing the Virgin Mary at the grotto site.[1] [4] |
| Later in 1947 | The sanctuary history says a devotional statue was placed at the grotto.[4] |
| Decades following | The sanctuary develops into a Roman pilgrimage and prayer site centered on the grotto, rosary prayer, and Marian devotion.[3] [4] |
| April 12, 2025 | The Diocese of Rome erects the Diocesan Sanctuary of the Virgin of Revelation, Mother of the Church.[2] |
The sanctuary’s own history page treats the event as inseparable from Bruno Cornacchiola’s religious-change story.[4] In the standard Tre Fontane narrative:
- Bruno went to the site with his children on April 12, 1947[1]
- the apparition occurred in a grotto area at the ancient Tre Fontane site[4]
- the message was remembered as a rebuke to persecution and a summons back to Catholic practice[1]
That conversion-centered structure is central to the sanctuary’s retelling of the case and to later Roman devotion connected with Tre Fontane.
How the shrine developed
Section titled “How the shrine developed”Even before the 2025 decree, Tre Fontane had long functioned as an active devotional site. The sanctuary history says that after the 1947 event:
- the grotto itself became the focal place of prayer[4]
- a statue connected with the devotion was installed there later in 1947[4]
- the site developed into a steady Roman pilgrimage destination tied to rosary prayer, Eucharistic devotion, and Marian piety[3] [4]
The shrine history presents Tre Fontane as a sanctuary with a continuous devotional history in Rome.[3] [4]
Current diocesan status
Section titled “Current diocesan status”The most important recent development is that the Diocese of Rome formally erected the site as the Diocesan Sanctuary of the Virgin of Revelation, Mother of the Church on April 12, 2025.[2] [3]
The decree states that:
- it recognizes Tre Fontane as a major place of pilgrimage and public devotion[2]
- it also says the historical origin of the phenomenon and its later developments remain under a renewed phase of study and discernment by ecclesiastical authority[2]
The 2025 decree states that the historical origin of the phenomenon and its later developments remain under study while the site is recognized for pilgrimage and public devotion.[2]
The site today
Section titled “The site today”The 2025 decree says Tre Fontane has become:
- an important spiritual point of reference for many pilgrims[2]
- a place associated with reported conversions, vocations, and healing testimonies[2]
- a continuing center of Marian devotion in Rome itself[2]
References
Section titled “References”- Diocese of Rome. “La Messa con il vescovo Lamba per la Vergine della Rivelazione.” Official diocesan article recounting the April 12, 1947 Tre Fontane event and Bruno Cornacchiola’s reported conversion. Available at: https://www.diocesidiroma.it/la-messa-con-il-vescovo-lamba-per-la-vergine-della-rivelazione/
- Diocese of Rome. “Decreto di erezione del santuario diocesano Vergine della Rivelazione Madre della Chiesa” (12 April 2025). Official decree erecting the sanctuary and stating that the origin and later developments of the phenomenon remain under renewed ecclesiastical study and discernment. Available in the Rivista Diocesana di Roma at: https://www.diocesidiroma.it/wp-content/uploads/2025/07/Rivista_n2_2025_web.pdf
- Santuario della Vergine della Rivelazione alle Tre Fontane. Official sanctuary homepage noting the sanctuary’s 12 April 2025 erection and current liturgical life. Available at: https://www.grottadellarivelazione.it/
- Santuario della Vergine della Rivelazione alle Tre Fontane. “Storia del Santuario.” Official sanctuary history of the Tre Fontane site, the grotto, and the development of the devotion. Available at: https://www.grottadellarivelazione.it/storia-del-santuario/