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Friuli Venezia Giulia

Udine

San Nicolò Ossuary (Udine Ossuary Temple)

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Places to see

Italy

Friuli Venezia Giulia

Udine

San Nicolò Ossuary (Udine Ossuary Temple)

Highlight • Religious Site

San Nicolò Ossuary (Udine Ossuary Temple)

Recommended by 15 hikers out of 17

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Location: Udine, Friuli Venezia Giulia, Italy

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Best Hikes to San Nicolò Ossuary (Udine Ossuary Temple)

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1. Liberty Square, Udine – Loggia of Lionello loop from Chiavris

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2. Piazza Libertà, Udine – Loggia del Lionello loop from Borgo Villalta

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3. Loggia of Lionello – Liberty Square, Udine loop from Udine

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Tips

Siggi

December 15, 2023

The Sacred Temple of San Nicolò, better known as the Ossario Temple of Udine, is located in the central Rotonda XXVI Luglio at the end of Viale Venezia. With its imposing dome, it is visible even from a distance and is divided into its own ossuary, which houses the remains of 21,500 fallen soldiers in the Great War in Friuli-Venice, and the parish church of San Nicolò, a function for which the building was originally planned was.

Work began in 1925 on the project of architects Provino Valle and Alessandro Limongelli, but two years later the decision was made to transform the church into a place to collect the thousands of corpses in the war cemeteries between the Isonzo and Tagliamento rivers. The initial decisions were partially revised and a grandiose crypt was built under the church, which still houses the fallen, about 5,600 of whom are unnamed. The identified corpses are arranged in loculi along the walls, while the unknown are in two large common graves, on which the epigraph "Et nomen una cum sanguine pro Patria dedimus" ("For the fatherland, together with the blood, we also have the name offered") can be read. In the crypt there is also a bronze statue dedicated to the many fallen and miscellaneous of the Julia and Friuli divisions as well as 300 fallen soldiers of the Second World War.

The external facade of the temple clearly recalls the Great War with the placement of four large statues by Silvio Olivo, representing the Alpine, the Fante, the Aviator and the Sailor. Inside the parish church, on the other hand, there are 14 side chapels, each dedicated to a station of the "Way of the Cross" with formalities by Giannino Castiglioni, which was already written in the chapel of the monastery of Redipuglia.

Translated by Google •

🌿 Seit1984 ⚒️

October 12, 2025

The Tempio Ossario di Udine, also known as the San Nicolò Ossuary Temple, is one of Italy's most impressive war memorials—a place that combines history, architecture, and quiet reverence.

Architecture & Origin
Construction period: 1925–1931, after the First World War, as a memorial to fallen Italian soldiers.

Architects: Alessandro Limongelli and Provino Valle.

Style: Monumental basilica with a Greek cross floor plan and a 62-meter-high copper dome—visible from far above Udine.

Facade: Four larger-than-life statues by Silvio Olivo symbolize the military branches: Alpine, Infantryman, Aviator, and Marine.

⚰️ The Cripta – the actual ossuary
Largest crypt in Italy: Three naves, with travertine columns and side chapels.

Over 21,500 fallen soldiers: Exhumed from war cemeteries between the Isonzo and Tagliamento rivers.

Approximately 5,600 without names – buried in two large communal graves.

The inscription: "Et nomen una cum sanguine pro Patria dedimus" – "With blood we also gave the name to the fatherland."

Additional tribute: 344 fallen soldiers of World War II, including soldiers from the Julia and Friuli divisions.

⛪ Church of San Nicolò
Upper church: Functions as a parish church with 14 side chapels.

Via Crucis: Bronze formal sculpture by Giannino Castiglioni, also known from the Sacrario di Redipuglia.

Altar: Dominated by a bronze Christ by Aurelio Mistruzzi, on black marble.

📍 Location & Visit
Address: Piazzale XXVI Luglio, Udine – named after the day of the Italian troops' entry in 1866.

Cripta Opening Hours: Tuesday to Saturday, 8:30 a.m.–2:30 p.m.

Special Feature: The temple is not only a memorial but also a monument to peace – especially in times of global unrest.

Translated by Google •

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Elevation 110 m

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Wednesday 5 November

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Location: Udine, Friuli Venezia Giulia, Italy

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San Nicolò Ossuary (Udine Ossuary Temple)

1. Liberty Square, Udine – Loggia of Lionello loop from Chiavris

2. Piazza Libertà, Udine – Loggia del Lionello loop from Borgo Villalta

3. Loggia of Lionello – Liberty Square, Udine loop from Udine

Other Popular Places to Check Out

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