Madonna della Vena Sanctuary in Piedimonte Etneo
The Sanctuary of the Madonna della Vena in Piedimonte Etneo is a modern place of worship that stands on the ruins of an old Basilian monastery, destroyed over the centuries.
The foundation of the sanctuary is traditionally attributed to Pope Gregory I and a legend according to which some friars by divine will stopped in that place in the 6th century.
The new place of worship was built in 1905 and completed in 1930.
The façade is divided into two orders: the first order we find a large portal in a central position surmounted by a single lancet window, framed by four white marble pilaster strips surmounted by an architrave and tympanum; on the second order, above the tympanum, stands the belfry.
The interior, very bright, is decorated with stained glass windows depicting Mary, Mediatrix, Vene of all graces, and with valuable mosaics that illustrate the historical origin and the message of the Sanctuary through biblical and evangelical scenes in which the most significant scriptural passages are reported, in Italian.
The Marian Sanctuary of Vena houses an ancient image of the Virgin and Childon a cedar board from Lebanon. There are two schools of thought regarding the dating of the icon: the most accredited hypothesis, which refers to popular tradition, identifies the panel as a Byzantine icon from the 6th century; some authoritative scholars support the hypothesis that the table is a 13th century icon of local manufacture.
