The temple arose after a miraculous event. A man, caught in a storm, stood buried under the snow for three days: thanks to the help of the invoked Virgin Mary he was found alive. After this miracle, the Virgin was called Our Lady of the Snow.

The plan of the church is a Greek cross, inscribed in a square, reduced to unity by the rim of the dome, set on four big arches radiating the apsidal arms and welded to four angular pillars. Outside it has an octagonal plan, while inside it displays the clearness of the curved lines, enclosing the Greek cross plan.

The earthquake of the 1979 practically razed to the ground the church. Only some side walls with wonderful frescoes, now protected by sheets of plexiglass, are still standing.