Sanctuary of Santa Maria della Strada in Giarre
The Sanctuary of Santa Maria la Strada in Giarre is an important place of worship, a place of pilgrimage for many faithful.
It was built in 1081, during the Norman period and its origins are linked to a leggenda. Over the centuries, the building has undergone numerous alterations and no trace of its ancient medieval appearance remains.
The façade, in neoclassical style, has a large arch that forms an external atrium into which the entrance portal opens and the window above. Two pairs of parastras, which delimit the façade laterally, support the entablature and a string course surmounted by a central bell tower and two lateral spiers.
The interior, with a single nave, features rich marble decorations and valuable furnishings.
Among the works kept inside the sanctuary, of particular value are: the canvas of Maria Santissima della Strada with Child and the little Saint John the Baptist, by an unknown author, but attributable to the school of Antonello da Messina; the work of the Acese painter Pietro Paolo Vasta depicting the Madonna with Child and Saints Alfio, Cirino and Filadelfo; a valuable organ from 1783.
