The Church of the Immaculate Conception overlooks a small square dedicated to the citizens of Civitavecchia fallen in all the wars, remembered one by one on the tombstones on the facade. The Church dates back to the late ‘700 and was dedicated to Saint Anthony until a prodigious event made it dedicated to the Immaculate Conception: it is said, in fact, that in 1854, five children kneeling in front of the picture of the Madonna still preserved inside saw his eyes lower their gaze towards them; for over three months the miracle was repeated in the presence of many faithful, until it was officially recognized by Pope Pius IX, who in the same year had promulgated the dogma of the Immaculate Conception. And so, the small Church, also known as the Church of the Ghetto for its location within the neighborhood so called, was the first church ever to be dedicated to the Immaculate Conception.
