Cascia is a small, historic town, known primarily as a place of worship of St. Rita, patroness of hopeless matters. Its sanctuary, built at the beginning of the 20th century, attracts crowds of pilgrims every year.
Saint Rita lived at the turn of the 14th and 15th centuries. Her husband was murdered by political opponents, and she herself prayed fervently that her sons would not stain their consciences with revenge on the murderers. Her pleas were heard, but in an immensely painful way. Both sons died during the flu epidemic. After these events, Rita entered the Augustinian Order, where she received stigmata. She was considered a saint only in 1900, although her cult was spreading in Cascia much earlier.
After the canonization, the Basilica of St. Rita of Cascia, which is the most important attraction of the city. In its richly decorated interior there is a confession with the preserved body of the saint. It is the destination of numerous pilgrimages, because the prayer to St. Rita is treated as help in very difficult, even hopeless matters.
In addition to the basilica, the city also has a small, but well-preserved Old Town with houses mainly from the Renaissance and Baroque times, and several valuable churches.
