Leone Ramgnino

The major work of Leone Ramognino's lay life is intimately linked to Mount Beigua. Driven by a vow made during the war, he invested himself body and soul in the erection of the sanctuary of Nostra Signora Regina della Pace (Our Lady Queen of Peace) on this Ligurian summit. In 1927, he officially became its guardian. For nearly ten years, he lived as a hermit in this isolated place, dedicating himself to the embellishment of the sanctuary while warmly welcoming passing pilgrims. In 1933, on the occasion of the extraordinary Holy Year marking the 19th centenary of the death of Christ, he contributed to the erection of a monumental cross 18.50 meters high on Mount Beigua, followed by the inauguration of a Way of the Cross in 1937. It was in this climate of contemplative solitude and Marian service that his religious vocation matured. In 1951, at the age of 61, he crossed the doors of the convent of the Desert of Varazze (Deserto di Varazze) to enter the Discalced Carmelites as a lay brother. On October 24, 1957, he made his religious profession as a tertiary under the name of Brother Gioacchino. Ten years later, the Superior General of the Order, Father Anastasio Alberto Ballestrero (future cardinal), who held him in high esteem, obtained for him a dispensation from the canonical year of novitiate, allowing him to pronounce his solemn profession within the Order of Discalced Carmelites. The sanctuary of Mount Beigua having been entrusted in the meantime to the Discalced Carmelites, Brother Gioacchino returned there to exercise his duty as guardian until the end of his life.

The reputation for holiness of Brother Gioacchino, whom the inhabitants of Sassello affectionately nicknamed "Ninu u santu" (Nino the saint), was consolidated throughout his long life. His piety, humility, and charity toward pilgrims left a deep impression on those who approached him. After his death on August 25, 1985, at the age of 95 at the convent of Varazze, his funeral, celebrated by Cardinal Anastasio Alberto Ballestrero, drew a vast crowd. His tomb, located at the Eremo Carmelitano of Varazze, quickly became a place of pilgrimage and prayer. Faced with this constant popular fervor, the Diocese of Acqui opened a diocesan inquiry into his life, virtues, and reputation for holiness. This investigative phase concluded solemnly on January 6, 2015. The decree of validity for the diocesan inquiry was granted by the Congregation for the Causes of Saints on May 13, 2016, allowing the cause to proceed in Rome.

On October 24, 2025, during an audience granted to Cardinal Marcello Semeraro, Prefect of the Dicastery for the Causes of Saints, Pope Leo XIV authorized the promulgation of the decree recognizing the heroic virtues of the Servant of God Gioacchino della Regina della Pace (Leone Ramognino). By this official act, the Holy Church solemnly declares him "Venerable." The next step toward his beatification will require the official recognition of a miracle attributed to his intercession.

The spirituality of the Venerable Gioacchino della Regina della Pace rests on an absolute trust in Divine Providence and a filial and unfailing Marian devotion. Despite the countless material and logistical difficulties encountered during the construction and maintenance of the sanctuary on Mount Beigua, he always remained serene, entrusting himself entirely to God. He spent long hours in silent adoration before the Tabernacle, living in intimate union with the Lord. His humility, his benevolent smile, and his constant availability to welcome pilgrims have left a lasting mark in Liguria. Today, the sanctuary of the Queen of Peace on Mount Beigua and his tomb at the Desert Convent of Varazze remain spiritual beacons where the faithful come to seek inner peace following the example of this humble Carmelite hermit.